What The US Army’s High-Tech HADES Aircraft Will Be Able To Do Once It Hits The Skies

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While they don’t get the most attention from the public, the U.S. military’s intelligence collection assets are what keep commanders informed and troops on the ground safe from unseen enemies. The U.S. Army is in the early stages of acquiring a new aircraft capable of performing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, which is set to replace older legacy systems in the near future. The High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) is proceeding with the first plane, having been delivered in November 2024.

HADES is under development as a replacement system for the Army’s RC-12 Guardrail Common Sensor (GRCS), which has been in use since the Cold War. The GRCS is slated for a 2034 retirement, leaving little time for the Army to test, modify, and ultimately deploy the HADES onto the world’s battlespaces. The lessons learned from the GRCS’ use in combat zones are being used to develop its replacement, which is being built by one of the world’s best private jet manufacturers, Bombardier Defense, using its Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft as a base.

HADES is one of several military variants of the Global 6500, which demonstrates the aircraft’s versatility. The project is moving quickly, as the Army approved the contract for a Global 6500 in December 2023. Now comes the testing phase, where the Army will incorporate highly classified sensors and ISR technology to bring the aircraft up to speed for the HADES program. It’s unclear how long the next step will take for the Army to complete, but the HADES will likely be ready by late 2026 or early 2027.

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While the U.S. has plenty of highly specialized sensors used for intelligence collection, they’re not worth a whole lot without a vehicle to take them to a target location. That’s where the HADES aircraft comes into play, and the Bombardier Global 6500 is up to the challenge. The aircraft boasts a range of nearly 7,600 miles at speeds of Mach 0.9 via its purpose-built Rolls-Royce Pearl engine. It can also comfortably carry 17 passengers, though this number will likely be reduced once all of the intelligence collection and processing equipment is loaded into the cabin.

Upon awarding the contract, project manager, Col. Joe S. Minor, explained, “HADES will bring the Army increased range, speed, endurance, and aerial ISR depth. 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.” The Army defines deep sensing as “The employment of capabilities beyond the division coordinated firing line to collect data and information that supports targeting, situational understanding, or decision making.”

Indeed, the Global 6500’s range far exceeds that of the over 1,900-mile range of the GRCS, which is one of the U.S. military’s remaining propeller-driven aircraft. The Global 6500 has several features that will support the Army’s ISR mission, including a maximum endurance of 18 hours, requiring maintenance checks after 750 hours of operation. The plane also boasts a 4K-enabled cabin, offering some of the fastest connectivity speeds available in a commercial aircraft. All of these stats stack up to make for an ideal platform for HADES.

HADES deep sensing & reconnaissance system

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Because the sensors and equipment aboard the HADES aircraft are likely all classified, it’s unclear as to what specifically will be packed inside. That said, there is some information related to HADES’ projected capabilities that indicates it has the same and better systems than the GRCS. HADES will be a much larger aircraft with far greater range and endurance, enabling operators to outfit the sensors for specific target areas. This expands the HADES system’s versatility by making it adaptable to different environments. In terms of the type of intelligence it will collect, there are many options.

For certain, the HADES will have signals intelligence (SIGINT), communications intelligence (COMINT), and electronic intelligence (ELINT) collection capabilities. For ELINT, HADES will be outfitted with the PEGASUS ELINT sensor, adding precision direction finding and other means of target geolocation. An Army spokesperson told Armada, “HADES will carry a variety of SIGINT sensors, synthetic aperture radar/moving target indication radar, cyber, electronic warfare, optronics sensors, and air-launched effects.” The onboard suite of sensors will also aid in recognition, identification, tracking, and finally, geo-locating targets. Additionally, onboard AI will use advanced data processing to produce near-real-time products for dissemination to the warfighter.

The Army is working in phases to integrate its sensors and communications equipment into the aircraft. As testing continues, some elements may be removed, replaced, or retained. Eventually, the Army will add follow-on capabilities for cyber and electronic warfare, as well as air-launched effects. The Global 6500’s 14,000 lb. payload capacity suggests it is well suited for anything the Army plans to throw inside, which will likely be filled with server racks, monitors, analyst positions, and few luxuries. Seeing as the Global 6500 is an executive aircraft, the insides will look very different when HADES enters the inventory.

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