After 2 years, tech is fully integrated into Israel’s newest spy plane, says defence ministry

Israel’s Defense Ministry and the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced on Sunday that they completed two years of outfitting an aircraft with advanced intelligence gathering technology, and that test flights have already begun.

The spy plane, known as the ORON, is a Gulfstream G550 Aerospace equipped with state-of-the-art sensors, cameras, artificial intelligence, and advanced Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) systems.

Israeli authorities displayed the plane for the first time at the Paris Air Show in June. It operates at an altitude of up to 40,000-50,000 feet with a flight range of 1,000 km.

The ministry said the ORON’s real-time monitoring capabilities will provide larger amounts of intelligence than unmanned aerial vehicles.

Installing the technology on the plane took two years, the ministry said.

The Defense Ministry said test flights have already begun under the joint efforts of the ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), the Israel Defense Forces, and IAI.

The ORON will be operated by the Israeli Air Force’s “Nachshon” 122nd squadron out of the Nevatim Air Base near Beer Sheva.

“ORON is a joint multi-domain, multi-sensor solution which will provide the IDF with game-changing capabilities to counter threats far and near,” said the aircraft’s head, Lt Col Yoed.

The system’s ability to accurately track multiple targets over vast distances and challenging conditions will enable a prompt and precise response to threats, he stressed.