US Army ATHENA - Bombardier Global 6500

[chopper2004]

MAG Aerospace and L3Harris Technologies will equip the Bombardier Global 6500 with Theater Level High Altitude Expeditionary Next Airborne ISR-Radar venture, or ATHENA-R for the US Army

https://www.c4isrnet.com/intel-geoin...paign=army-dnr

The article, implying the army will be of moving away from the Cold War legacy platforms such as RC-12 variants...

cheers

[Strucky]

Sounds like UK ASTOR / Sentinel reborn with additional SIGINT (and probably using ex RAF aircraft).

[chopper2004]

Originally Posted by Strucky

Sounds like UK ASTOR / Sentinel reborn with additional SIGINT (and probably using ex RAF aircraft).

More than likely US Army bought our retired, ASTOR fleet ..probably as test platforms for the new system. I saw one in N reg a year ago at RIAT then one on the ramp at waddo earlier this year when i went to Cobra Warrior 23-1 (my photos below).






The army already has a program called ARTEMIS using a Bombardier Challenger, which has come through Mildenhall th other year.

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-n...illance-effort

cheers

[steamchicken]

Funny that, weren't those suddenly completely useless and obsolete?

[Davef68]

Originally Posted by steamchicken

Funny that, weren't those suddenly completely useless and obsolete?

Systems rather than airframes*, and it was thought that modifying the config back to 'normal' was not economic/practical. Then the US Army realised that the UK airframes would be useful for their planned sensors.

* was the claim

[ASRAAMTOO]

Originally Posted by steamchicken

Funny that, weren't those suddenly completely useless and obsolete?

Apparently. Although its difficult to argue that they would not do a better job than the ones we are currently using!

[Strucky]

I can assure you, the Sentinel was 'not useless' and was in high demand until the end.

It would have proved invaluable in supporting NATO monitoring of eastern Europe, the Baltics, High North and the Black Sea.

Other countries always manage to support ISR assets much longer than we do, i.e. E-3D, Sentinel, Nimrod, etc.

Hopefully Protector and the P8 will fill some aspects of the current gap in capability.

[ORAC]

https://www.c4isrnet.com/intel-geoin...-in-554m-deal/

Sierra Nevada to supply US Army with intel-gathering jets in $554M deal

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army selected Sierra Nevada Corp. to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft and related services for an ongoing overhaul of its aerial spying and targeting capabilities.

The company’s RAPCON-X, converted Bombardier business jets, won approval for the Army’s Theater Level High Altitude Expeditionary Next Airborne ISR-Signals Intelligence project, or ATHENA-S, according to a Nov. 14 announcement…..

[Lonewolf_50]

Well, Guardrail was getting long in the tooth ...

[chopper2004]

Funding for one prototype

more update

https://www.defensenews.com/industry...paign=army-dnr



'The U.S. Army awarded a contract to Bombardier Defense to provide at least one Global 6500 aircraft to serve as a prototype airframe for a new spy plane program, the service announced Wednesday.

The firm-fixed-price contract, awarded Dec. 12, includes an option to purchase two additional aircraft over a three-year period. The first aircraft’s delivery date is set for Oct. 1, the statement noted.
I suppose all round, its the army's new strategic policy of long range engagement so to speak, especially in the indo-Pacific region...

Look at it this way:

1) Bell V-280 Valor, for FVL more geared towards the Pacific theater

2) Long Range Precision Strike Missiles

and now this,

cheers