Bombardier Defense has won a firm-fixed-price contract to supply a Global 6500 to the U.S. Army, with options for two more of the ultra-long-range business jets, the Army announced yesterday. The December 12 award was from the U.S. Army Contracting Command-Redstone Arsenal and in coordination with the Army Fixed Wing Project Office. Its first Global 6500 will be delivered on Oct. 1, 2024.

The Army will use the Global 6500s as prototypes for the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (Hades) project, which “will provide advanced deep-sensing capabilities for use in multidomain operations against peer and near-peer adversaries,” according to the Army.

“Hades will bring the Army increased range, speed, endurance, and aerial [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR)] depth,” said Joe S. Minor, project manager for Army fixed-wing aircraft. “Hades will operate at higher altitudes than legacy turboprop platforms. Higher altitudes equate to an ability to sense farther and more persistently into areas of interest. Deep sensing is the Army’s number-one operational imperative for the Army of 2030.”

In 2020, the Army started buying aerial ISR in an “as a service” technology demonstrator format from defense companies using aerial technology demonstrators. The Army’s Athena-R (radar) and Athena-S (passive detection) programs—which also use the Global 6500 as their platforms—are part of an earlier award to MAG Aerospace and L3Harris Technologies and support Hades development.