Airborne C4ISR Aircraft Survey

By J.R. Wilson - January 13, 2014

An E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, 963rd Airborne Air Control Squadron, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., participates in a training sortie during Green Flag-West 13-2 exercise, Nov. 1, 2012. The AWACS played a significant role in the exercise by using its unique capabilities to monitor and support many aspects of both air and ground force maneuvers. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher Hubenthal

A Survey of Airborne C4ISR Platforms Worldwide

The platforms listed are those currently being produced, operated, or sought by each nation. Although not listed, virtually every nation also is looking to UAVs to provide or supplement their airborne ISR capabilities. The nations marked with an * are considered, along with the United States and the U.K., to be among the top 20 ISR markets through 2021. Several also are part of the NATO E-3A/D Component program, which operates 24 Boeing NATO E-3A/D AWACS aircraft from bases in Germany and England.

Argentina

Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion and EP-3E ARIES (Airborne Raconnaissance Integrated Electronic System)

*Australia

Boeing 737 AEW&C “Wedgetail”

Lockheed Martin AP-3C Orion MPA and EP-3E ARIES Bombardier Q300 MPA

Interest in P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA)

*Brazil

Embraer R-99A/E-99/EMB 145 AEW&C (with Erieye PS-890 radar)

EADS CASA C-295 AEW

The Brazilian Air Force bought 12 former U.S. Navy P-3As more than a decade ago, but they were not put into service until Airbus Military completed upgrades that included its Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) and Thales-built flight deck displays. The first of the converted P-3AM MPAs was delivered in October 2011, with the rest following through 2013.”

*Canada

Bombardier Q300 MPA

Canada – part of the NATO E-3A Component – is upgrading its existing CP-140 Aurora MPAs (Canadian version of the Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion), but also is looking to replace it in the future.

Chile

Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion and EP-3E ARIES

Boeing 707-385C Phalcon”

*China

Shaanxi ZDK-03 Shaanxi KJ-200 AEW&C

Shaanxi Y-8T C3I command post/battlefield surveillance (based on Y-8F-400) Shaanxi Y-8W AWACS version of the KJ-200

Shaanxi Y-8 AWACS w/large Rotodome over the rear fuselage and triple tail

Shaanxi ZDK-03 Pakistani variant, with Chinese AESA radar mounted on Y-8F600 platform

Shaanxi KJ-2000 (Mainring) AEW&C (Chinese electronics/radars, modified Ilyushin IL-76 airframe)

Xian JZY-01 experimental aircraft/Y-7 AWACS – carrier-based AWACS variant (JZY stands for Jian Zai Yu, meaning carrier borne AEW)

KongJing-200

GaoXin 2 (Y-8-based) ELINT

Denmark

Bombardier C4ISR-equipped Challenger 604

Egypt

E-2C Hawkeye 2000T

*France

E-3F AWACS Upgrade

E-2C Hawkeye

Hawkeye 2000 Carrier-Based AEW

*Germany

Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion and EP-3E ARIES

Part of NATO E-3A Component

Greece

Embraer R-99A/E-99/EMB 145 (with Erieye PS-890 radar)

Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion and EP-3E ARIES “

*India

IAI EL/W-2090 AEW&C

Ilyushin Il-76 A-50EI

A-50I Phalcon AEW

EMB-145 Erieye AEW&C

Possible Interest in E-2D Hawkeye

Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has been working on an AEW&C platform for more than a decade. The latest effort, based on the EMB-145, is scheduled for introduction in 2014. DRDO also is in the early stages of a joint project with the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) in Bangalore to develop a domestic “AWACS-India,” but that effort reportedly is still awaiting government approval and funding.
“India does not have the funding to develop all these programs across the board on their own and have tended to buy them instead from Israel and, occasionally, Russia,” Rockwell said. “But, like China, if there is a need, there probably is something in development.””

Iran

HESA IrAn-140 (based on Antonov An-140)

“If you look at their new UAVs or stealth fighters, they put out a lot of mock-ups and fakes in terms of platforms; electronics are harder to track, but compared to the U.S., they probably have only a rudimentary capability,” Rockwell noted.

*Israel

The Israeli Air Force’s Eitam CAEW (Conformal Airborne Early Warning) aircraft is a Gulfstream G550 heavily modified by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for AEW missions. The modifications include an updated derivative of the Phalcon system, the Elta EL/W-2085 sensor package, based around an active electronically scanned array (AESA) or active phased array radar. Some also have been equipped with communications jamming equipment to operate as Special Electronic Missions Aircraft (SEMA).

“Israel has not developed its own strategic four-engine [AWACS], instead excelling at the twin-engine platform and UAVs,” Rockwell added. “Of course, they are not into projecting power, so shorter range aircraft and ground-based capabilities in defense of their own homeland are a greater priority.”

*Italy

EL/W-2085 AEW&C

NATO E-3A Component Member

ATR 72 MPA

*Japan

Japan has more interest than money in acquiring new AEW, MPA and SIGINT aircraft to complement or replace their existing Lockheed Martin P-3C Orions and EP-3E ARIES. In addition to the Bombardier Q300 MPA and new Boeing E-767 and E-2C Hawkeye 2000T, they also have begun flying their own Kawasaki XP-1 as a replacement for some older Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

Mexico

Embraer R-99A/E-99/EMB 145 AEW&C (with Erieye PS-890 radar)

Fairchild C-26A

New Zealand

Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion and EP-3E ARIES

North Korea

Antonov An-24

Norway

Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion and EP-3E ARIES

*Pakistan

AF Erieye AEW-equipped Saab S-100B-2000 (based on Saab 2000 rather than 340)

Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion and EP-3E ARIES

Shaanxi ZDK-03

Reportedly negotiating with China for more advanced AEW&C aircraft

Poland

EADS CASA C-295 AEW

Portugal

EADS CASA C-295 AEW

Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion and EP-3E ARIES”

*Russia

Beriev A-50U “Shmel” (Mainstay)

“Most of the former Soviet programs have been descoped for a long time; international power projection is not what Russia is all about, compared to maintaining an arguably strong defense capability,” Rockwell said. “There are some areas where Russia remains strong, such as fighter aircraft, but even during the Cold War, something such as AWACS was mostly just on paper. Russia today is much like most of the rest of the world, building mostly for foreign sales. But a lot of their capabilities are dated at this point because there hasn’t been a lot of money to put into them.”

*Saudi Arabia

Boeing E-3A

RC-135

Erieye on Saab 340

Bombardier Q300 MPA

Possible Interest in P-8

The Saudis are spending a lot of money on ISR aircraft for internal needs, including upgrades to their aging E-3 TASS (Tactical Airborne Surveillance System) platforms, as well as participating in a multi-nation Long-Term AEW&C Solution Aircraft effort.

*Singapore