Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/773724
On 14 October, the Armaments Inspectorate of MoD (the entity re- sponsible for weapons and equipment purchases) closed submis- sions of bids for two tenders. In the case of so-called "small" air- craft (business jets), two offers were submitted – French Dassault Aviation (Falcon 7X) and the American Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. (Gulfstream G550). Both companies offered planes with 16 passenger seats and crew of three (two pilots and one member of the on-board personnel). What is interesting, there were no bids from two potentially crucial candidates – the Brazilian Embraer and the Canadian Bombardier, which constituted one of the two big surpris- es on that day. Dassault Aviation bid was worth c.a. 102 million EUR net (c.a. 107 million USD) with with 240 months of warranty for the structure of the airframe. The delivery of aircraft could have been planned for the period April-August 2018, but it did not fit the required schedules. This was the reason why that bid was rejected. As a result, the only offer that met the requirements was the Gulfstream. The value of the bid is c.a. 99,7 million EUR net (c.a. 104,5 million USD) with delivery date was determined for the first half of August 2017. The above that should not be a surprise, since the idea of rebuilding the military potential of VIP transport is probably connected with the complete withdrawal from EuroLOT Embraer EMB-175 leased planes, whose owner is difficult to be determined after bankruptcy of the carrier (in the first half of 2015). It should be reminded that the usage of those aircraft VIP transport will ceased by the end of 2017. Because of those reason, a pair of new business jet-sized aircraft will be complementary to the medium-sized VIP aircraft and EADS CASA C-295M turbo-prop utility planes. The contract was finally awarded on 14th November 2016. The main task of G550 will be transportation of small delegations within Poland and Europe. Additionally, the end-user planns the possibility of intercontinental flights – in case of eight passengers aboard, the range would allow flights between Warsaw and New York directly. According to Gulfstream data, with the above-men- tioned configuration and full fuel tank, the Gulfstream G550, which would start from Warsaw, would be able to reach, directly, any point in Africa, Asia, North America, the North-East regions of Southern America, or the Western coast of Australia. Gulfstream G550 is used for VIP transport in Azerbaijan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, and the USA (as a C-37B). What is more, it can be also used as a platform for specialty variants of the plane. Israel has acquired a number of G550s, fitted with the IAI EL/W-2085 sensor package for Airborne Early Warning (AEW) use and named the aircraft Eitam. This aircraft is heavily modified for the AEW role by Gulfstream's partner, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and is also called CAEW (Conformal Airborne Early Warning) by Gulfstream Special Missions Department. Israel has also acquired a number of G550s dubbed SEMA (Special Electronic Missions Aircraft) with systems integra- tion also carried out by IAI. Italy has acquired 2 G550 CAEW as part of a counter-deal to Israel's $1 billion order for 30 Alenia Aermacchi M-346 advanced jet trainers. Singapore ordered four similar G550 The United States Air Force is one of Gulfstream G550 users. The VIP transport version was designated as C-37B and there are five of such planes. www.fragoutmag.com