- HENSOLDT, Lufthansa Technik Defense and Bombardier Defense, a subsidiary of Bombardier (TSX:BBD.A), have rolled out the first aircraft under Germany’s Pegasus program ahead of this year’s ILA Berlin airshow
- The billion-euro program will integrate HENSOLDT’s Pegasus radio and radar signal reconnaissance solution with Bombardier’s Global 6000 aircraft
- Bombardier designs, builds, modifies and maintains a leading portfolio of aircraft for business and defense
- Bombardier stock has added 59.64 per cent year-over-year and 64.42 per cent over the past five years
HENSOLDT, Lufthansa Technik Defense and Bombardier Defense, a subsidiary of Bombardier (TSX:BBD.A), have rolled out the first aircraft under Germany’s Pegasus program ahead of this year’s ILA Berlin airshow.
The project – initially awarded by the German air force in 2021 and valued at more than 1 billion euros – will see the partners integrate the Persistent German Airborne Surveillance System (Pegasus), a HENSOLDT radio and radar signal reconnaissance solution, on Bombardier’s Global 6000 aircraft.
Bombardier is providing a foundational modification work package alongside Lufthansa Technik Defense, which will oversee system integration at its special-mission centre in Hamburg, Germany. The first aircraft was successfully modified at Bombardier’s facility in Wichita, Kansas, and will soon begin ground testing in preparation for its first flight, with two more aircraft to follow.
According to S&P Global, Bombardier Defense generated about US$600 million in revenue in 2023 and expects to grow its annual haul to between US$1 billion and US$1.5 billion by 2030.
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“Bombardier Defense is proud to have the trust of HENSOLDT, Lufthansa Technik Defense and the Luftwaffe to complete this critical work on the high-performing Global 6000 aircraft for the Pegasus program,” Steve Patrick, vice president of Bombardier Defense, said in a statement. “Thanks to our companies’ continued close collaboration and joint expertise, we are making important strides and have a clear line of sight on the aircraft’s upcoming milestones, including the start of the flight test campaign in the coming months.”
“The roll-out following the recent passing of the Critical Design Review clearly shows that the PEGASUS program is on track,” commented Jürgen Halder, HENSOLDT’s vice president of airborne SIGINT. “The underlying reconnaissance solution KALAETRON Integral offers a worldwide unique high-performance reconnaissance capability based on powerful German key technology.”
“The roll-out of the first structurally modified Global 6000 aircraft indeed marks a major milestone, not just as an important prerequisite for Lufthansa Technik Defense’s Pegasus work packages, but for the overall progress of this pioneering signals intelligence aircraft project,” said Michael von Puttkamer, vice president of special aircraft services at Lufthansa Technik. “We thank HENSOLDT and Bombardier for the good cooperation, and we almost can’t wait to see this aircraft taking to the air, performing its flight tests and returning to Hamburg again, where in the upcoming systems integration phase we will be proud to build on the high-quality work of the team in Wichita.”
About Bombardier
Bombardier designs, builds, modifies and maintains a leading portfolio of aircraft for business and defence. The company’s customers operate a fleet of about 5,000 aircraft across the world supported by 10 service facilities across six countries.
Bombardier Inc. stock (TSX:BBD.A) last traded at C$90.02 per share. The stock has added 59.64 per cent year-over-year and 64.42 per cent over the past five years.
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(Top photo of Bombardier’s Global 6000 aircraft for Germany’s Pegasus program in the company’s Wichita, Kansas, hangar: Bombardier)
