Australia has received its first MC-55A Peregrine, a cutting-edge airborne electronic warfare and intelligence platform, as part of efforts to counter rising security threats in the region.
The aircraft touched down at its new home, RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia, on January 22.
The MC-55 Peregrine is a heavily modified variant of the Gulfstream G550, a commercial jet and American business jet. The acquisition is part of Canberra’s efforts to bolster its Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and Electronic Warfare (EW) capabilities.
Aviation enthusiasts tracked its journey live, with spotters sharing photos and updates as the specially modified Gulfstream G550 made stops at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona, Hickam AFB in Hawaii, Wake Island, Andersen AFB in Guam, and finally Edinburgh — marking a major milestone for Australian defence aviation.
“Feeling genuinely grateful today. The RAAF MC-55 Peregrine has finally been delivered to Adelaide, following an incredible route: KGVT > KDMA > PHNL > PWAK > PGUA > YPED. A huge milestone for Australian aviation and capability — honoured to watch it happen,” a user wrote on X.
The contract, valued at over $1 billion, was awarded to L3Harris and tasked the company with delivering four modified Gulfstream G550s fitted with a cutting-edge integrated mission system.
This includes the latest-generation electronic warfare (EW) suites, advanced sensors, secure communications gear, and data-processing capabilities designed to give the RAAF a decisive edge in contested electromagnetic environments.
The first MC-55A Peregrine finally touched down in Australia nearly four years after its dramatic unveiling in May 2022. Back then, the aircraft was spotted rolling out of Gulfstream’s Savannah, Georgia facility, as reported by EurAsian Times at the time.
Australia’s Big EW Boost
The MC-55A Peregrine program began as early as 2017 when the US State Department authorised Australia to buy up to five modified aircraft.
Two years later, in 2019, Canberra confirmed the purchase of four of the upgraded G550 aircraft under Project AIR 555.
“As business jets are increasingly utilized for EW purposes, we have invested in miniaturizing our capabilities to deliver new resources for our customers. Australia is a very important market for L3, and we look forward to a long and productive partnership with the RAAF and the local supplier base in support of the Peregrine program,” L3 Technologies chairman, CEO, and President Christopher Kubasik said at the time.
Project AIR 555 is a major Australian Defence Force program to acquire and integrate an advanced Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Electronic Warfare (AISREW or ISREW) capability for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
Based on open-source assessments, it is speculated that the aircraft modification includes installing a self-protection suite and ground-based data processing systems, as well as aircraft modifications to accommodate mission systems and secure communications equipment.
Notably, the Electronic Warfare (EW) aircraft’s airframe is covered in antennas and features a noticeable belly “canoe” that houses additional sensors. It is equipped with “airborne intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare” mission systems.
Additionally, a notable feature is a dorsally mounted satellite communications antenna farm, along with a massive Satcom antenna shroud atop the vertical stabilizer.
It appears to have an EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infra-Red) ball turret below the tail for basic optical surveillance and ISR capability, given the large ocean areas surrounding Australia.
The MC-55A variant for Australia lacks the cheek fairings that house active electronically scanned array radars found on the G550’s conformal early warning (CAEW) versions, as observed in initial flight-test imagery. At the same time, though, the MC-55A’s mission’s electronic attack component is very noteworthy.
It’s reasonable to assume that the type used the rear AESA array from the CAEW and combined it with a strong AESA type in the canoe, allowing it to launch electronic attacks at long ranges while also gathering intelligence.
The MC-55’s sensors enable it to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), signals intelligence (SIGINT), and electronic warfare (EW) operations. Since the G550 can fly at 51,000 feet and has a long endurance of about 15 hours, this would effectively extend the reach of the Peregrine sensors.
Currently, the Royal Australian Air Force operates the P-8A Poseidon, E-7A Wedgetail, AP-3C Orion, and the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System for ISR missions and to monitor adversarial activities in its immediate region and beyond. The induction and operationalisation of the MC-55 will further prove to be a force multiplier in this lineup.
Electronic warfare is crucial to modern warfare, and the side that controls the electromagnetic spectrum can interfere with, deny, degrade, destroy, or trick an adversary’s fighting capabilities.
The Peregrines will be able to conduct vital electronic intelligence collection, geolocation, and categorization missions to ascertain an enemy’s electronic order of battle in peacetime and in a contingency.
Once operational, the MC-55 will connect with platforms such as the F-35A Lightning II fighter, the E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft, the EA-18G Growler electronic attack fighter, Navy surface combatants, amphibious ships, and ground forces, acting as a “critical link” in Australia’s integrated defense network.
In terms of operations, this will help promote multi-domain operations. For example, it can transmit real-time data from ISR sensors to ships or fighters, allowing for coordinated defensive maneuvers or strikes.
This network-centric approach will improve speed of decision-making and overall combat effectiveness, in line with Australia’s aim to deter aggression through superior information supremacy.
“It will be a critical enabler of the ADF’s fifth-generation warfighting platforms and will conduct routine and rapid surveillance to provide real-time threat warning and intelligence support, as well as intelligence mission data production,” a Defence spokesperson earlier explained to The Australian. “This capability will substantially enhance EW support for operations in electromagnetic environments. The system’s ability to fuse multiple inputs across the electromagnetic spectrum will enhance situational awareness for Defence, Australia’s allies and partners.”
Although not officially confirmed, the MC-55 could also be used for the manned-unmanned teaming with Australia’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), which is expected to operate alongside the F-35A and the E-7 Wedgetail early warning aircraft.
While much specific information about the aircraft’s features has been withheld from the public, its sensors and the ability to transmit data to other nodes in nearly real time via high-bandwidth satellite datalinks make this aircraft one of the most potent assets in the RAAF’s arsenal.
The aircraft would significantly bolster the RAAF’s monitoring of the large swathes of the Southern Pacific region and beyond, especially since China has been making swift inroads into the region and courting regional countries with its BRI (Belt and Road) initiative.
In 2022, China signed a defense cooperation agreement with the Solomon Islands, triggering fears that a Chinese naval base could come up near Australia.
In fact, China has made no bones about wanting to expand its influence and reach far-off seas, including the Australian doorstep.
For instance, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) task group conducted two live-fire drills near Australia and New Zealand in February last year without providing adequate notice.
Australian officials and the 2023 Defense Strategy Review flagged China’s aggressive tactics, including the coercive handling of territorial disputes and the risky interception of ships and aircraft operating in international waters and airspace over the South China Sea.
Australia regularly conducts freedom-of-navigation operations and surveillance flights in the South China Sea to support international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). These activities have led to confrontations, with Australia accusing Chinese jets of conducting unsafe interceptions and attacking with flares.
Additionally, Chinese forces have been accused of harassing Australian ships and aircraft in the Coral Sea through unsafe maneuvers, such as flying or sailing dangerously close. This includes illegal fishing by Chinese vessels and the use of gray-zone tactics.
Moreover, Australia is a close US ally in the South Pacific and is expected to be a party in a potential US-China conflict. While the Australian leadership has not explicitly stated that it would aid Washington against China, the two allies’ robust military ties and areas of cooperation continue to expand.
In a hypothetical situation in which Australia enters a conflict with China, the MC-55A would prove an excellent platform, capable of jamming and employing non-kinetic techniques to interfere with enemy radar, electronic systems, and communications.
However, even in the absence of an armed confrontation, Peregrine provides extensive regional coverage from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, with support facilities spread out across the country.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari13 (at) outlook.com
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