U.S. Army Selects Bombardier's Global 6500 for Recon Aircraft Prototype

The aircraft will be the Army's first large-cabin business jet used for aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

Kimberly Johnson

Thursday, January 04, 2024 at 02:03 PM ET

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The U.S. Army awarded a firm-fixed-price contract to Bombardier Defense to buy a Global 6500 business jet for prototyping as an aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platform. [Courtesy: Bombardier Defense]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Army has selected the Bombardier Defense Global 6500 jet as the platform for its new High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) spy plane prototype.
This initiative marks the Army's first use of a large-cabin business jet for aerial intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), designed to provide advanced deep-sensing capabilities.
HADES will replace the Army's aging, Cold War-era Guardrail Common Sensor turboprop fleet, offering enhanced range, speed, endurance, and higher altitude operations.
The system is critical for the Army's "deep sensing" imperative, identified as its No. 1 operational priority for the Army of 2030.

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The U.S. Army has selected the Bombardier Defense Global 6500 jet as the platform for its new spy plane prototype for the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System, known as HADES.

The firm-fixed-price contract was awarded to Bombardier on December 12 by the Army Contracting Command-Redstone Arsenal, in coordination with the Army Fixed Wing Project Office, the service announced Wednesday.