Aircraft
Embraer and IAI/Elta Launch Cost-effective AEW Aircraft
Technological advances have allowed Elta to develop a small, heavily automated surveillance system that can be carried by the Praetor 600 business jet.
Embraer/Elta P600 airborne early warning aircraft.
Elta’s advanced airborne early warning system on a modified Embraer Praetor 600 business jet has three onboard operator stations. (Photo: Embraer)

Embraer Defense & Security showed a model of the P600 airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft it is developing in partnership with IAI/Elta Systems at last week's IDEX show in Abu Dhabi. The companies also jointly marketed the aircraft at the recent Aero India show, but remain tight-lipped about the status of the program.

The P600 is based on the airframe of the Embraer Praetor 600 super-midsize business jet, equipped with a state-of-the-art, low-weight, high-efficiency digital S-band Elta AESA radar in a dorsal radome. The aircraft will also incorporate civil and military IFF, ESM, ELINT, and COMINT systems, and an advanced and robust self-protection suite. The P600 will be equipped with a comprehensive communication suite including data networks and satellite links for Beyond Line Of Sight (BLOS) operation.