More Gulfstream G550s for Italy
In December 2020, the Italian Ministry of Defence (MoD) published plans to buy up to eight C4ISTAR platforms (Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Information/Intelligence, Surveillance and TARgeting) based on the Gulfstream G550.
The Aeronautica Militare (ItAF, Italian Air Force) already operates two Gulfstream E-550A (Gulfstream G550) Conformal Airborne Early Warning (CAEW) aircraft, MM62293/14-11 and MM62303/14-12. These Gulfstreams were purchased from Israel’s Israel Aerospace Industries in 2012.
The latest Gulfstream, G-550 MM62332/14-14 (construction number 5559) was noted in an overall grey livery with callsign ‘IAM1494’ during a test flight from Dallas Love Field (TX). The flight was probably made under the control of L3Harris Technologies Integrated Systems, who also modified the first G-550 MM62329/14-13 (c/n 5581). The 'new' Gulfstream, ex N1777U, was built in 2017 and was owned by the corporate ownership TVPX Aircraft Solutions, which provide trust services for United States aircraft registration purposes.
The plans for the C4ISTAR platform were outlined in documents supplied to the Italian parliament in December 2020. The new platform would reinforce Italy’s signals intelligence capability as the Mediterranean becomes a flashpoint for regional tensions with neighbours like Turkey, Egypt tussling over the future of lawless Libya and not to forget, the present war in Ukraine.
Next to buying the Gulfstream G550s, Italy plans to build a maintenance hub for similar aircraft operated by other nations around the Mediterranean.
In July 2021, Gulfstream Aerospace ceased the production of the Gulfstream G550. In the Gulfstream line-up, the G550 has been replaced by the G600. To anticipate on the interest of military users for the G550, Gulfstream Aerospace has produced a number of so-called white tails, that will definitely be used for the military market like the USAF EC-37B Compass Call and the RAAF MC-55A Peregrine. If more G550s are needed, countries have to buy them on the second-hand market.
Photos by Garrett Heller/Boneyard Safari and yajoo