Wichita Work Critical to Berlin’s Pegasus Air Defense Project

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 German armed forces’ Hensoldt-led Pegasus program. Since the aircraft’s 2020 selection to the program, Bombardier has delivered three Global 6000 jets to Lufthansa Technik.

Bombardier Defense will ply its technical expertise to performing the major structural modifications required to accommodate Hensoldt’s "Kalaetron Integral" signal intelligence (SIGINT) system within the Global 6000’s airframe. The Kalaetron system is a multi-function jamming device that collects and analyzes radar and radio signals. The contraption has proven effective as both an aircraft self-protection system and an escort jammer. The actual integration of the Kalaetron system with the Global 6000’s electrics and computers will be performed at Lufthansa Technik’s special mission aircraft competence center in Hamburg, Germany.

The German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) contracted Hensoldt—a German multinational corporation specializing in defense, security, and aerospace sensor technologies—for the airborne electronic signals intelligence system known as Pegasus. Subject system will ostensibly strengthen the combat capabilities of the Bundeswehr, the unified armed forces of Germany.

The Global 6000’s arrival in Wichita marks the commencement of the first major work package undertaken for a European customer at Bombardier Defense’s U.S. Headquarters. Bombardier Defense will begin modifying the aircraft once its engineers develop a number of mission-specific solutions. In the engineer’s vernacular, the term solution connotes an ambiguous, as-of-yet undetermined methodology specific to a given conundrum.

Upon the contrivance and implementation of appropriate solutions, Bombardier Defense will see to the testing and certification of the modified aircraft before passing it along to Lufthansa Technik.

Bombardier Defense vice president Steve Patrick remarked: “This most recent milestone is a testament to the quality of Bombardier jets for both VIP transport and special mission applications. 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.”

Lufthansa Technik vice president of special aircraft services Michael von Puttkamer stated: “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. 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.”

Not to be out platitude-ed, Hensoldt vice president Michael von Puttkamer added: “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. 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.”

Bombardier’s Global family aircraft are well suited to special missions. Lighter and more compact than their predecessors, modern intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) systems no longer need be borne aloft by large, commercial aircraft. The last decade has seen modified Global aircraft complete a multitude of missions for a distinguished roster of world militaries.

Headquartered in Montréal, Québec, Bombardier operates aerostructure, assembly, and completion facilities in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The company’s customer support network includes maintenance facilities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, the UAE, Singapore, China, and Australia.

FMI: www.bombardier.com