The U.S. State Department recently approved the potential sale to Italy of two Gulfstream G550 Aircraft with Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Electronic Warfare (AISREW) Mission Systems, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
The possible deal, which covers electronic warfare aircraft and related equipment, has an estimated value of $500 million.
“This proposed sale will support U.S. foreign policy and national security by helping to improve the security of a NATO ally, which is an important partner for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” DSCA’s notice regarding the proposed deal says.
As noted by the DSCA, the Pentagon’s top arms broker, the principal contractor will be L3Harris, Greenville, TX.
The AISREW is the newest EW platform aircraft designed to actively strengthen electronic warfare support to naval, air and land forces for operations in complex electromagnetic environments.
Features of the AISREW include an endurance of more than 15 hours, a cruise speed of 0.8 mach and a service ceiling of 51,000 feet, which ADM understands would provide a line of sight communications and signals intelligence (SIGINT) interception range of about 400 kilometers.