Conformal Airborne Early Warning & Control Aircraft to be Presented at Aero India 2009 Air Show

Released on Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) Conformal Airborne Early Warning & Control (CAEW) Aircraft will be presented at the Aero India 2009 Air Show (February 11-15, 2009) being held at the Air Force Station Yelahanka, Bengaluru, India.

ELTA Systems Ltd, an IAI Group and wholly owned subsidiary, is the prime contractor, system developer and system integrator of the CAEW Program for the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD). The first CAEW system, installed onboard a modified Gulfstream G550 business jet, was delivered in February 2008 to the IAF and entered Operational Service. A second CAEW aircraft was delivered in May 2008.

The Israel Air Force CAEW serves a variety of operational missions, including Airborne Early Warning, Air Situation Picture Generation, and Air Combat Command and Control. Israeli Air Force representatives said: "We are extremely pleased with this new addition to our force. The CAEW aircraft has been flying extensively during the last year, both in operational and training missions. The aircraft is integrated within the IAF air picture network and has proven to be of great operational value".

The CAEW is the 3rd generation of Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Systems developed by ELTA since the mid 1980s. ELTA is a world frontrunner in AEW&C technology and an international pioneer in the development and deployment of AEW&C utilizing state-of-the-art Active Electronically Steered Array (AESA) technology.

Nissim Hadas, IAI's Corporate Vice President and President of ELTA Systems, noted: "We are very proud of the smooth integration and testing process, which enabled us to deliver such a complex system in record time. The CAEW Systems are used intensively and are demonstrating outstanding performance in the operational environment."

The G550 based CAEW long-endurance, high-altitude platform carries conformal dual-band AESA Radar & IFF (Identification Friend or Foe), ESM (Electronic Support Measures) and an integrated SPS (Self-Protection System). The G550 based CAEW includes a comprehensive Communication Suite designed for Network Centric Operations (NCO) which ensures extensive interoperability in any theater.

The G550 based CAEW is the second phase of an Israel Air Force (IAF) strategic plan to replace its old fleet of Special Mission Aircraft with a new cost effective fleet of G550. The first phase was the Special Electronic Mission Aircraft (SEMA), which have entered operational service in the IAF since 2006. The SEMA is demonstrating outstanding performance in providing a real time picture of the Electronic Order of Battle (EOB). The planned third phase is an advanced Air to Ground Mission Aircraft.