Bizjets of War

Big news from France!

Earlier this week, their new Archange bizjet has flown for the first time. The ISR/EW jet is based on the Dassault Aviation Falcon 8X and is equipped with the Thales CUGE sensor suite.

Source: x.com/seblecornu/s...

Global 6000 PEGASUS N661HN | Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, KS KICT | May 2025 | the new German Air Force SIGINT platform that's in development - PEGASUS is an abbreviation of "persistent German airborne surveillance system." due to be 14+10. More at skippyscage.com/aviation/ks/...

Earlier this week, the ARTEMIS jet orbited over the Black Sea for the first time since the full-scale war in Ukraine began in 2022. The contractor-owned and operated is a heavily modified Challenger 650 SIGINT bizjet flying for the U.S. Army.

BRIO68 // N488CR // #A60693

Global 6000 PEGASUS N661HN | Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, KS KICT | May 2025 | the new German Air Force SIGINT platform that's in development - PEGASUS is an abbreviation of "persistent German airborne surveillance system." This one is apparently due to be 14+10 when delivered.

... Aviation C5ISR Center Flight Activity emblems, so I think it'll be used as a testbed for the HADES program.

If you have more info, feel free to send a DM/email! You'll always stay anonymous and I won't share anything without explicit approval.

h/t @srplanespotter.bsky.social

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An interesting new jet emerged recently, after 10 years of retirement and then several months of modifications.

The modified Gulfstream C-20E now has a canoe fairing and additional antennas as well as U.S. Army DEVCOM and ...

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Full video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=45hq...

Army eyeing ISR portfolio pivot, plans tests for 1,000-mile range launched effect - Breaking Defense One Army official acknowledged that the future High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) might go through a program change.

Source and more info:

breakingdefense.com/2025/05/army...

The U.S. Army is reportedly looking to remodel the HADES program.

Officials hinted that the number of ME-11Bs might be reduced and that the ISR bizjets might receive “ultra-long-range” launched effects that can fly out to 1,000 miles (1,600 km), which will be demonstrated in 2026.

The 43rd ECS flew the first mission training sortie for the EA-37B on May 2.

Previous flights were pilot training or test/validation flights. The first EA-37B Compass Call II, a highly modified G550 turned into an electronic attack bizjet, was delivered in 2024.

www.offutt.af.mil/News/Article...

… the modified Global 6500 was tracked landing at Kadena AB, Japan two hours after the reported intercept.

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Source: def.ltn.com.tw/article/brea...

More on the ARES jet and the program it is part of: open.substack.com/pub/bizjetso...

N799JR // #AADA4C

According to Taiwanese sources, Chinese military aircraft recently intercepted the ARES jet.

The day before, the SIGINT bizjet orbited east of the island to monitor the large-scale Chinese military exercises (see screenshot). There was no public tracking during the intercept, but …

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ME-11B Official Designation Of Army's New Intelligence Gathering Business Jets The sensor-packed ME-11Bs will fly faster, further, and higher than the Army's current turboprop intel aircraft and could also launch drones.

ME-11B Official Designation Of Army’s New Intelligence Gathering Business Jets www.twz.com/air/me-11b-o...

Italy's electronic warfare bizjet program advances to the final stages With the U.S. approving the sale of brand-new electronic attack jets, Italy is now in the final phase of significantly expanding their ISR bizjet fleet to meet current and future threats

Image above: @srplanespotter.bsky.social

Sources and more info

MC-55A: www.flightglobal.com/fixed-wing/a...
Bombardier: bombardier.com/en/media/new...

More on the Italian program:
open.substack.com/pub/bizjetso...

Big news from Australia!

- L3Harris confirmed it'll deliver the MC-55A Peregrine later this year, and revealed that it's ''preparing a similar G550-based aircraft for a different customer”, most likely Italy.

- Bombardier signed a deal with an Australian contractor for two Challenger 650 ISR jets

N7700 again patrolled near Scarborough Shoal in the last few days, including the long-duration orbits south of the disputed atoll in the South China Sea.

Yesterday and this morning, the contractor-owned and operated maritime surveillance jet orbited near Scarborough Shoal.

The modified Challenger 604, equipped with SIGINT, radar and EO/IR sensors, likely monitored Chinese activities at the disputed atoll in the South China Sea.

N7700 // #AA6B5F

Very rare good tracking of the ARES jet flying along China’s eastern coast.

While such missions are routine, public tracking has been limited in recent years. The modified Global 6500 is a contractor-owned and operated SIGINT bizjet flying for the U.S. Army.

N799JR // #AADA4C

Global 6500 N1098L | Centennial Airport, CO KAPA | January 2025 | the elusive AXLE10, one of a pair or Globals being operated for the US Army for its HADES program training, coming in for a quick stop and go

Thanks again to the person (who wishes to remain anonymous) who pointed this out to me!

AXEL90 // N9PS // #AC6BD0
globe.adsbexchange.com?icao=ac6bd0&...

Earlier this month, a third Global 6500 started flying for the Army's ISR bizjet pilot training program.

I'm unsure whether this is part of the initial contract or a very early start of the expanded contract, which mentioned that the contractor would start providing the new jets in late 2025.

Desert Dolphins: Unwrapping the UAE's surveillance bizjets The United Arab Emirates Air Force operates a fleet of advanced ISR and AEW&C bizjets, boosting the state's autonomous intelligence and surveillance amid growing regional instability

Desert Dolphins: Unwrapping the UAE's spy bizjets

A new post about the UAE Air Force's fleet of ISR and AEW&C bizjets. Details remain limited, but photos and leaked documents reveal interesting details, including a link to an unexpected country.

Full post:
open.substack.com/pub/bizjetso...

A new United States spy plane reportedly arrived in treaty ally South Korea on Thursday as the Pentagon doubles up reconnaissance flights against China and North Korea.
www.newsweek.com/us-news-army...

SCRUM06 // N291SR // #A2FAD1

N291SR, one of the first ATHENA jets, landed at Camp Humphreys, South Korea.

This (highly likely) marks the start of the first-ever ATHENA deployment. Of the four ISR bizjets, two are planned to be deployed in South Korea while the other two will be deployed to the European theatre.

Unwrapping the U.S. Army's new spy jets (updated) The U.S. Army is using contractor-owned, contractor-operated surveillance jets to test new technologies and operating concepts

The jets are modified Challenger 650 bizjets with SIGINT sensors. They are contractor-owned and operated for the US Army.

More on the jets: bizjetsofwar.substack.com/p/bizjets-of...

ARTEMIS: BRIO68 // N488CR // #A60693
ARTEMIS II: BRIO66 // N159L // #A0EC98
globe.adsbexchange.com?icao=a60693,...

This is definitely new: both ARTEMIS jets orbiting near the Serbia-Kosovo border region.

It's the first simultaneous mission, the first for the ARTEMIS II jet, and the first time the ARTEMIS jet is orbiting in this pattern (usually a smaller orbit above Romania only).

Bizjets of War | Substack Posting about business jets modified for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (and/or other military) missions. Click to read Bizjets of War, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribe...

I think you can guess what the next Substack post will be about 😁

bizjetsofwar.substack.com

Does anyone have more information or photos of the UAE's ISR bizjets?

Non-English websites are also welcome! As always, you will stay anonymous if you send something in DMs/email and I won't share anything without explicit approval.

Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/55198...

BAE Systems-owned Sabreliner, N65ML as FLIGHTSYSTEMS02 last week at Mojave with an interesting nose radome and antenna rack