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Gulfstream Focuses on Special Mission Aircraft Segment at Farnborough
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Compact Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) special mission aircraft based on proven business aircraft platforms represent two key growth areas in Gulfstream Aerospace's (Chalet K13-14) special mission aircraft business plan, claims Buddy Sams, the firm's senior vp government programs. Historically, military and special missions aircraft have accounted for 10% of Gulfstream's business. As in previous years, they're Gulfstream's main focus at Farnborough.
"You can replace aging, legacy systems with modern business aircraft because you don't need all that real estate with [today's] compact electronics on downsized platforms," Sams said. Gulfstream also sees strong potential for the G550 as a CAEW platform, such as the four aircraft ordered in 2002 by the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
General Dynamics' 1999 purchase of Gulfstream has added "a lot of support and expertise" in special missions, Sams noted. The G550 is especially well suited for "a new role" as a CAEW or Special Electronic Missions Aircraft (SEMA) because of its 14-hour endurance, 6,750-nmi range and 51,000-feet cruise ceiling, Sams pointed out. "This market will grow, and we will be very competitive," he claimed.
At Farnborough, Sams is pushing the G450, Gulfstream's next-gen GIV derivative, as an Aerial Common Sensor (ACS) platform with partner Northrop-Grumman, which will supply the electronics suite. Badged as the RC-20, the special missions G450 has a next-gen ISR platform with "plenty of performance margin to ensure the operational flexibility of our nation's most sophisticated electronic sensor," Sams said in October 2003.
Sales of executive configuration special missions aircraft for government heads of state and military VIPs also show high potential. "Our business aircraft [platforms] have the performance, endurance, reliability, factory support and self-sufficiency to operate from remote airfields," Sams said. He noted that all Gulfstream special missions aircraft are FAA certified and they're also frequently certified in the countries that buy them.
After-market spares and support remains one of Gulfstream's strongest selling points for special missions aircraft. The firm has a worldwide network of product support facilities and a 48-hour maximum response time for AOG spares deliveries. Typical delivery time for AOG spares is 24 hours or less, Sams claimed.
—Fred George
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