United States Air Force G550 from Gulfstream

Cesna Caravan is an ideal platform for special mision aplications

Embraer’s Medevac version of the Phenom 300 jet which was delivered to Amil Resgate Saúde

Bombardier’s Challenger jet’s configuration allows for multiple misions at once.

Special mission aviation began in the military and now has gone into civilian applications too on a fairly large scale. While in the military, special mission aircraft are generally designed to support and enhance the effectiveness of aircraft, naval and ground forces engaged in combat operations against the enemy, in recent times, they are widely used for maritime patrol, disaster relief operations, border patrol surveillance, medical evacuation, aerial surveillance and VIP transport. In civilian and paramilitary applications, large aircraft are generally not used for special missions. The right fit has been business aircraft both jets and turboprops, which are easily configurable for civilian applications.

Special missions operations is a niche market and business aircraft manufacturers are increasing focus on this segment as governments and other organisations are seeing the benefits of configured business aircraft. The best part of these aircraft is that they double up for both private use and special missions, of course, with modifications for the mission. Almost all the business aircraft manufacturers are players in this segment.

Gulfstream Adaptable Platforms

Gulfstream claims that for mission-critical operations, no other civilian aircraft has served as long or as capably as Gulfstream. Nearly 200 Gulfstream aircraft in 37 countries operate in support of government and military service special missions, including roles as head-of-state transports, airborne early warning systems and in support of international atmospheric data collection that had never been possible before a specially modified Gulfstream G550 went into service. Since 1967, Gulfstream has been serving all five branches of the US military and other government agencies. Gulfstream aircraft have been used to train astronauts to fly the space shuttle and Navy A-6 crews as navigators as well as platforms to help hurricane hunters track storms.

Gulfstream aircraft provide on-demand dependability, speed and range, configurations for role flexibility and capability to operate under extreme conditions. These performance attributes for decades have made Gulfstream aircraft the unequalled choice for special missions platforms. Gulfstream aircraft account for the majority of all large-cabin business jets delivered to the US Government since 1967.

Gulfstream has long maintained a Special Missions Programme Office, staffed with programme managers and project engineers with a unique understanding of and expertise in fulfilling the most demanding requirements, whether from domestic and international governments or defence contractors. Gulfstream’s ability to modify airframes to unique special mission specifications is the result of decades of experience—the platform matters.

Gulfstream looks into details such as acoustics, vision systems, composites, etc, to ensure that the aircraft are the quietest possible and also provide situational awareness and other information for special missions operations. Gulfstream Special Missions aircraft are expertly outfitted to fulfil various missions such as airborne early warning, open ocean/coastal surveillance, search and rescue, medical evacuation, high altitude atmospheric research, government executive transport, transportation of priority personnel and cargo, fisheries patrol, hurricane research and tracking, tactical/optical reconnaissance, etc.

From the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G550 to the mid-cabin, high-speed Gulfstream G150, the fleet offers the highest performance transportation and special missions platform solutions for government and military applications worldwide. The Gulfstream G650 ER has the highest cruise speed on longer ranges.

Textron’s Line-Up of Products

Textron Aviation Inc, a Textron Inc company, has an entire product range of Beechcraft and Cessna aircraft with special mission configurations. All 20 current production aircraft including a Special Mission Beechcraft King Air 350ER, fit numerous mission profiles, including aerial survey, air ambulance, flight inspection, aerial surveillance, training and utility transport.

“With the combination of the Beechcraft and Cessna products with Textron Aviation, we now offer the largest proposition of special mission platforms in the industry,” said Dan Keady, Vice President, Special Missions to SP’s Aviation at the recently concluded Paris International Air Show. “We have seen a significant growth in special mission activity around the globe and anticipate this market will continue to grow across our aircraft platforms. From our piston-engine Beechcraft and Cessna products up to the largest Citation business jets, we are able to offer our customers an aircraft for just about any mission requirement.”

Beechcraft products, particularly the King Air turboprops, are utilised around the globe in a number of roles including air ambulance, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), maritime patrol and pilot training. Cessna product line lends itself to multiple special mission roles from piston-engine trainers, to the multi-purposed Caravan operating in an air ambulance, cargo, parachute and float plane platforms. The Citation jets are also used in training, flight inspection and air ambulance roles throughout the world.

“There have been a number of factors fuelling the special mission business,” Keady said. “Two key factors include advances in onboard technology, which means aircraft such as our turboprops can be used for missions previously requiring larger, more expensive military aircraft. In addition, more organisations are looking to use their business aircraft for multiple roles, which could include using a King Air for executive or utility transport while having the ability to quickly adapt it to an air ambulance configuration, for example.”

Phenom 300 for Medevac

In 2011, Embraer came up with the first medical evacuation version of the Phenom 300 executive jet. Amil Assistencia Medica was the first customer of the new special mission version of the Phenom 300 which was equipped with the traditional patient-loading utility system (PLUS), manufactured by Life-Port. The jet is a veritable aerial semi-intensive care unit for patients, with 10-hour oxygen autonomy, 1,000 watts for vital equipment, a compressed air system and space for a ventilator, medical injection pump, defibrillator, IV poles and a neonatal incubator. Embraer integrates all of the equipment with the aircraft which includes redesigning the interior, gaining additional certification from aviation authorities and assembly. The cabin configuration has space for a horizontal stretcher and four seats for medical personnel and attendants as well as a private aft restroom. All seats have swivel mechanisms so that those closest to the stretcher can face the patient, thus facilitating medical procedures needed during the flight.

The Phenom 300 is an appropriate aircraft for medical evacuation. It has the lowest cabin pressurisation in the lightjet category, which is an important parameter for patients who must be kept at sea level atmospheric conditions. The access door of the airplane is the largest in its class, facilitating the entrance and exit of stretchers. Furthermore, the aircraft is fast, economical, can operate from short runways and offers a comfortable and spacious cabin, characteristics that make it an excellent option for medical transportation operations throughout the world.

Falcon Effective in Maritime Patrol

Dassault Aviation has maritime patrol versions of its Falcon 2000 and 900 executive aircraft. According to Olivier Villa, Senior Vice-President Civil Aircraft, “Ten per cent of the Falcon fleet are special-mission aircraft and there were 41 aircraft in service with the US Coast Guard.” Falcon MPAs are in use in France and Japan. “The Falcon 2000 and 900 both have a very long range, maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.85 and have good handling characteristics at low speeds. They can reach the operating area quickly and then loiter for a long time. They are also cheap to operate with 30 per cent lower fuel burn when compared with the competitiors and they are easy to maintain.”

The Falcon 2000 MRA multi-mission ‘Maritime Multi-role Aircraft’ is equipped with dedicated systems fulfilling the needs of navies worldwide. This version is developed for missions such as surveillance, reconnaissance, anti-surface attack, electronic warfare or training. It demonstrates remarkable performanceacross all phases of flight and allows high operational flexibility. The Falcon 2000 MRA offers a very light logistical footprint. It can be easily deployed for overseas missions or to remote and isolated airfields. In March 2015, the Japan Coast Guard selected the Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA), a variant of the Falcon 2000 to renew their fleet.

Bombardier’s High-Performance Platforms

The Canadian aerospace major offers the widest selection of high-performance platforms, from light and ultra long-range jets to turboprops and amphibians for special missions. The aircraft are the Global 6000/5000, Challenger 300/605/800, Learjet 60XR/70/75 and the Q Series.

These special mission veterans deliver the right combination of speed, range, payload, endurance, agility and reliability to meet any special mission requirement. Bombardier works with the world’s leading providers of special mission equipment to develop fully integrated packages that meet customer requirements. From radar to forward-looking infrared (FLIR), counter-measures and secure communication systems, Bombardier’s proven aircraft can be modified to integrate the most complex systems.

Bombardier Specialized Aircraft has delivered over 300 aircraft to government agencies around the world for a full range of specialised mission applications such as C4ISR, maritime patrol, search and rescue, executive transport, logistics support, flight inspection, aircrew training, medevac and flight tests. Since 1996, Bombardier Specialized Aircraft has addressed the specific needs of governments around the world.