UK commits to major upgrade for Shadow surveillance fleet

[Flyaway]

Also talks about upgrades to the Sentinel fleet.

Using heavily adapted Beechcraft King Air 350CERs, the Shadow R1 fleet is operated by 14 Sqn from the RAF's ISR hub at Waddington in Lincolnshire. Five of the type are in current use, and the UK has committed to adding a further three as part of its 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).

Raytheon says that under the expanded relationship it "will make the first incremental upgrade to the Shadow R1, and then explore new delivery solutions for the next variant, the Mk 2". The activity is now in its concept phase, but will involve modifying the current and on-order airframes, confirms Roland Howell, the company's director of airborne ISR.

Air Cdre Ian Gale, the Ministry of Defence's senior responsible owner, air ISTAR, says that while the concept phase is ongoing, he expects the Shadow R2 to be "a connected aeroplane with the best sensors available at the time", also featuring an open-architecture mission configuration with increased levels of software automation.

Previously threatened with retirement post-Afghanistan but reprieved until March 2021 in the last SDSR, the RAF's originally five-strong fleet of Bombardier Global Express-based Sentinel R1 ground surveillance aircraft is to receive updates to address obsolescence issues related to the type's radar, mission system and satellite communications equipment, Howell says.

One of the aircraft was removed from use in March 2017, but Gale says new methods introduced under an integrated Sentinel support solution deal signed late last year have resulted in the reduced fleet becoming "considerably more reliable and available". "We're reaping the rewards of that operationally," he adds.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/uk-commits-to-major-upgrade-for-shadow-surveillance-441135/