Bombardier Defense celebrated the arrival of a Global 6000 aircraft in Wichita, Kansas as part of the next phase of the company’s contract to support Lufthansa Technik’s participation in the HENSOLDT-led PEGASUS program of the German armed forces. Bombardier Defense will utilize its expertise to perform major structural modifications to accommodate the "Kalætron Integral" signal intelligence (SIGINT) system developed by HENSOLDT, which collects and analyzes military signals from radar and radio systems. The integration of this system will subsequently be performed at Lufthansa Technik’s special mission aircraft competence centre in Hamburg, Germany. Bombardier has previously delivered three Global 6000 jets to Lufthansa Technik since the aircraft was selected for the program in 2020.

This milestone marks the first major work package for a European customer performed at Bombardier Defense’s U.S. Headquarters in Wichita, Kansas since the company unveiled the site’s new mission in April 2022. Bombardier Defense will now be transitioning to the aircraft modification phase after its engineering team developed precise and mission-specific designed solutions. Bombardier Defense will then perform testing and required certification of the modified aircraft. As part of this program, Lufthansa Technik will perform and support systems integration for HENSOLDT, in addition to engineering and modification work contracted to Bombardier Defense.

“This most recent milestone is a testament to the quality of Bombardier jets for both VIP transport and special mission applications,” said Steve Patrick, Vice President, Bombardier Defense. “Bombardier Defense’s full suite of mission-specific design, manufacturing, and certification capabilities, combined with Lufthansa Technik’s expertise will ensure HENSOLDT receives a reliable, high-performing platform, perfectly tailored to their mission requirements and payload.”

“The start of the structural modification phase indeed marks a major milestone, as it is an important prerequisite for the work packages of our special mission aircraft experts in Hamburg,” said Michael von Puttkamer, Vice President Special Aircraft Services at Lufthansa Technik. “We thank HENSOLDT and Bombardier for the good cooperation and progress and we are already looking forward to building on the high-quality work of the colleagues in Wichita in the upcoming systems integration phase.”

“With the immense progress made in the design work over the last 12 months, we are proud to see the PEGASUS project entering the next stage,” added Jürgen Halder, Vice President Air SIGINT at HENSOLDT. “Together with our partners Bombardier Defense and Lufthansa Technik, we are determined to maintain the swift pace established to answer the pressing need of our customer for strategic surveillance capabilities.”

Global aircraft are ideal for critical special missions. Modern-day intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems are lighter and more compact, no longer requiring commercial aircraft proportions. Missionized versions of Global aircraft are in service with elite military clientele, having completed thousands of missions over the last decade and demonstrating excellent dispatch reliability. Global aircraft are especially attractive for military use because of their ability to operate at high altitudes as well as their speed, agility, endurance, and low operating costs compared to other aircraft in their class.