Australia Debuts MC-55A Peregrine as Its New Airborne Surveillance and Electronic Warfare Platform
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Australia has taken delivery of its first MC-55A Peregrine airborne intelligence and electronic warfare aircraft at RAAF Base Edinburgh, marking the debut of the nation’s most advanced crewed ISR platform. The arrival strengthens Australia’s ability to collect, analyse, and act on high-end signals intelligence in increasingly contested environments.
Australia has received its first MC-55A Peregrine intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare aircraft, marking a major milestone in the modernization of the Royal Australian Air Force. On 24 January 2026, the Australian Government confirmed that the first aircraft had arrived at RAAF Base Edinburgh, introducing Australia’s inaugural airborne ISREW capability. Acquired through a U.S. Foreign Military Sales program and missionized by L3Harris Technologies on the Gulfstream G550 platform, the MC-55A represents a significant enhancement of Australia’s high-end sensing and electronic warfare capacity. The delivery follows an extended period of integration and mission-system testing in the United States and is intended to support both national and allied operations by improving situational awareness and information superiority across multiple operational domains.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
Australia has received its first MC-55A Peregrine airborne intelligence and electronic warfare aircraft, marking a major upgrade to the nation’s ability to collect and act on high-end signals intelligence in contested environments (Picture Source: L3Harris Technologies)
The core of the Peregrine programme is the acquisition of four missionised business jets through a U.S. Foreign Military Sales arrangement, with the U.S. Air Force acting as procurement and test agent. L3Harris has delivered the first MC-55A airframe to the U.S. Air Force, where it underwent integration and mission system testing before being transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as the lead aircraft in the Peregrine fleet. Follow-on aircraft will initially remain under U.S. Air Force control to support RAAF training, tactics development and additional pre-delivery activities, ensuring that Australian crews and maintainers build proficiency while the fleet is still being completed. In parallel, L3Harris is establishing an in-country field service team and partnering with Australian industry to provide local support, with a framework for ongoing software and hardware upgrades to keep the platform aligned with evolving operational requirements.
The MC-55A is a highly modified Gulfstream G550 configured for long-range, high-altitude operations and equipped with a multi-intelligence mission system designed to collect, process and disseminate information across the electromagnetic spectrum. While specific sensor details remain classified, open information indicates an architecture optimised for signals intelligence, electronic support measures and electronic attack, combined with robust communications and datalink suites for real-time dissemination of intelligence to joint and coalition commanders.
L3Harris’ business-jet missionization pedigree, spanning more than 70 years of aircraft integration and over 100 missionised business jets delivered worldwide, underpins the design, with the MC-55A benefiting from experience gained on programmes such as the U.S. Air Force’s Compass Call and other ISR platforms. The result is a compact but highly capable ISREW aircraft able to operate at standoff range, remain on station for extended periods and serve as both an intelligence collector and a node in Australia’s wider command-and-control network.
From an operational standpoint, the MC-55A Peregrine will be operated by No. 10 Squadron and permanently based at RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia, which already serves as a hub for maritime patrol and ISR activities. The aircraft is intended to integrate into Australia’s broader ISR enterprise alongside platforms such as the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and the MQ-4C Triton high-altitude long-endurance UAV, providing complementary coverage and filling gaps in the electromagnetic and communications domain. In practice, this means the Peregrine can detect, characterise and geo-locate emitters, contribute to the generation of an electronic order of battle and support targeting for long-range strike assets. The platform’s mission system has been conceived to link into joint warfighting networks, enabling data exchange with assets such as the F-35A, E-7A Wedgetail, EA-18G Growler, Royal Australian Navy surface combatants and land-based fires, thereby reinforcing the Australian Defence Force’s move towards networked, multi-domain operations.
Australian authorities underline the MC-55A’s role as a critical enabler rather than a standalone sensor. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence has framed the Peregrine as a major enhancement to Australia’s capacity to monitor and protect its strategic interests, including key maritime approaches. The aircraft’s advanced ISR and electronic warfare capabilities allow the RAAF to detect, disrupt and deter potential adversaries, supporting the Australian Defence Force’s stated focus on readiness and resilience in a more contested regional environment. L3Harris, for its part, characterises the aircraft as a force multiplier for long-range targeting, regional deployments and detailed mission planning, giving the RAAF information superiority and providing strategic assets for future ADF operations. This combination of national policy emphasis and industrial capability underscores that the MC-55A has been conceived from the outset as an integral part of Australia’s deterrence posture.
The Peregrine changes the way Australia can see and shape the battlespace in the Indo-Pacific. With an ISREW platform able to operate at range, Australia gains the ability to map the electromagnetic environment, support maritime and air operations with high-fidelity targeting information, and conduct electronic warfare tasks in support of joint and coalition forces. The aircraft’s multi-intelligence mission system, combined with resilient datalinks, supports multi-domain operations by feeding fused sensor data into both national and allied command-and-control architectures. In crises, such a platform can be used to monitor grey-zone activities, track deployments and exercises by regional actors, and rapidly cue other assets, from maritime patrol aircraft to surface ships and land-based missile units, thereby shortening the sensor-to-shooter chain. This directly supports Australia’s ambition to maintain a credible, information-rich posture at the edge of any potential contingency in the region.
Strategically, the MC-55A Peregrine is intended to reinforce Australia’s role as a high-end intelligence contributor within its alliance network. According to the government, the capability is designed to integrate seamlessly with allied and partner systems, enabling the ADF to share intelligence with key security partners such as the United States and the United Kingdom and reinforcing collective security and regional stability. In the context of a rapidly evolving Indo-Pacific security environment, characterised by greater military modernisation, more frequent long-range deployments and intense competition in the information domain, an airborne ISREW capability offers Canberra additional options for signalling, reassurance and deterrence.
It allows Australia to contribute more meaningfully to combined ISR and electronic warfare architectures, which are increasingly central to coalition planning and operations. At the same time, the programme strengthens industrial and technological ties with the United States through the Foreign Military Sales framework and L3Harris’ long-term presence in Australia, supporting local industry through in-country sustainment and upgrades.
The arrival of the first MC-55A Peregrine and the ongoing delivery of the remaining aircraft represent a substantial qualitative change in how Australia can collect, process and share information across the air and maritime domains. The combination of a proven long-range business jet platform, a modern multi-intelligence and electronic warfare suite, and deep integration into joint and allied networks gives the RAAF a tool specifically tailored to an era of contested information and rapid decision-making.
As the Peregrine fleet moves from introduction into full operational service, it will help ensure that Australia is not only able to understand activity across its approaches and in its wider region, but also to act on that understanding in close coordination with partners. In a security environment where information advantage is increasingly decisive, the MC-55A stands out as a strategic capability central to Australia’s ability to detect, disrupt and, if necessary, defeat emerging threats.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
Australia has taken delivery of its first MC-55A Peregrine airborne intelligence and electronic warfare aircraft at RAAF Base Edinburgh, marking the debut of the nation’s most advanced crewed ISR platform. The arrival strengthens Australia’s ability to collect, analyse, and act on high-end signals intelligence in increasingly contested environments.
Australia has received its first MC-55A Peregrine intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare aircraft, marking a major milestone in the modernization of the Royal Australian Air Force. On 24 January 2026, the Australian Government confirmed that the first aircraft had arrived at RAAF Base Edinburgh, introducing Australia’s inaugural airborne ISREW capability. Acquired through a U.S. Foreign Military Sales program and missionized by L3Harris Technologies on the Gulfstream G550 platform, the MC-55A represents a significant enhancement of Australia’s high-end sensing and electronic warfare capacity. The delivery follows an extended period of integration and mission-system testing in the United States and is intended to support both national and allied operations by improving situational awareness and information superiority across multiple operational domains.
Australia has received its first MC-55A Peregrine airborne intelligence and electronic warfare aircraft, marking a major upgrade to the nation’s ability to collect and act on high-end signals intelligence in contested environments (Picture Source: L3Harris Technologies)
The core of the Peregrine programme is the acquisition of four missionised business jets through a U.S. Foreign Military Sales arrangement, with the U.S. Air Force acting as procurement and test agent. L3Harris has delivered the first MC-55A airframe to the U.S. Air Force, where it underwent integration and mission system testing before being transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as the lead aircraft in the Peregrine fleet. Follow-on aircraft will initially remain under U.S. Air Force control to support RAAF training, tactics development and additional pre-delivery activities, ensuring that Australian crews and maintainers build proficiency while the fleet is still being completed. In parallel, L3Harris is establishing an in-country field service team and partnering with Australian industry to provide local support, with a framework for ongoing software and hardware upgrades to keep the platform aligned with evolving operational requirements.
The MC-55A is a highly modified Gulfstream G550 configured for long-range, high-altitude operations and equipped with a multi-intelligence mission system designed to collect, process and disseminate information across the electromagnetic spectrum. While specific sensor details remain classified, open information indicates an architecture optimised for signals intelligence, electronic support measures and electronic attack, combined with robust communications and datalink suites for real-time dissemination of intelligence to joint and coalition commanders.
L3Harris’ business-jet missionization pedigree, spanning more than 70 years of aircraft integration and over 100 missionised business jets delivered worldwide, underpins the design, with the MC-55A benefiting from experience gained on programmes such as the U.S. Air Force’s Compass Call and other ISR platforms. The result is a compact but highly capable ISREW aircraft able to operate at standoff range, remain on station for extended periods and serve as both an intelligence collector and a node in Australia’s wider command-and-control network.
From an operational standpoint, the MC-55A Peregrine will be operated by No. 10 Squadron and permanently based at RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia, which already serves as a hub for maritime patrol and ISR activities. The aircraft is intended to integrate into Australia’s broader ISR enterprise alongside platforms such as the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and the MQ-4C Triton high-altitude long-endurance UAV, providing complementary coverage and filling gaps in the electromagnetic and communications domain. In practice, this means the Peregrine can detect, characterise and geo-locate emitters, contribute to the generation of an electronic order of battle and support targeting for long-range strike assets. The platform’s mission system has been conceived to link into joint warfighting networks, enabling data exchange with assets such as the F-35A, E-7A Wedgetail, EA-18G Growler, Royal Australian Navy surface combatants and land-based fires, thereby reinforcing the Australian Defence Force’s move towards networked, multi-domain operations.
Australian authorities underline the MC-55A’s role as a critical enabler rather than a standalone sensor. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence has framed the Peregrine as a major enhancement to Australia’s capacity to monitor and protect its strategic interests, including key maritime approaches. The aircraft’s advanced ISR and electronic warfare capabilities allow the RAAF to detect, disrupt and deter potential adversaries, supporting the Australian Defence Force’s stated focus on readiness and resilience in a more contested regional environment. L3Harris, for its part, characterises the aircraft as a force multiplier for long-range targeting, regional deployments and detailed mission planning, giving the RAAF information superiority and providing strategic assets for future ADF operations. This combination of national policy emphasis and industrial capability underscores that the MC-55A has been conceived from the outset as an integral part of Australia’s deterrence posture.
The Peregrine changes the way Australia can see and shape the battlespace in the Indo-Pacific. With an ISREW platform able to operate at range, Australia gains the ability to map the electromagnetic environment, support maritime and air operations with high-fidelity targeting information, and conduct electronic warfare tasks in support of joint and coalition forces. The aircraft’s multi-intelligence mission system, combined with resilient datalinks, supports multi-domain operations by feeding fused sensor data into both national and allied command-and-control architectures. In crises, such a platform can be used to monitor grey-zone activities, track deployments and exercises by regional actors, and rapidly cue other assets, from maritime patrol aircraft to surface ships and land-based missile units, thereby shortening the sensor-to-shooter chain. This directly supports Australia’s ambition to maintain a credible, information-rich posture at the edge of any potential contingency in the region.
Strategically, the MC-55A Peregrine is intended to reinforce Australia’s role as a high-end intelligence contributor within its alliance network. According to the government, the capability is designed to integrate seamlessly with allied and partner systems, enabling the ADF to share intelligence with key security partners such as the United States and the United Kingdom and reinforcing collective security and regional stability. In the context of a rapidly evolving Indo-Pacific security environment, characterised by greater military modernisation, more frequent long-range deployments and intense competition in the information domain, an airborne ISREW capability offers Canberra additional options for signalling, reassurance and deterrence.
It allows Australia to contribute more meaningfully to combined ISR and electronic warfare architectures, which are increasingly central to coalition planning and operations. At the same time, the programme strengthens industrial and technological ties with the United States through the Foreign Military Sales framework and L3Harris’ long-term presence in Australia, supporting local industry through in-country sustainment and upgrades.
The arrival of the first MC-55A Peregrine and the ongoing delivery of the remaining aircraft represent a substantial qualitative change in how Australia can collect, process and share information across the air and maritime domains. The combination of a proven long-range business jet platform, a modern multi-intelligence and electronic warfare suite, and deep integration into joint and allied networks gives the RAAF a tool specifically tailored to an era of contested information and rapid decision-making.
As the Peregrine fleet moves from introduction into full operational service, it will help ensure that Australia is not only able to understand activity across its approaches and in its wider region, but also to act on that understanding in close coordination with partners. In a security environment where information advantage is increasingly decisive, the MC-55A stands out as a strategic capability central to Australia’s ability to detect, disrupt and, if necessary, defeat emerging threats.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
