Bombardier delivers first Global 6500 to US Army for HADES conversion

The Global 6500 destined to become the HADES prototype at the factory in Wichita, Kansas. (Bombardier)

Bombardier delivered the first Global 6500 business jet to the US Army for conversion as a High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) prototype, according to a 29 November statement.

The aircraft is the first of 14 purchased by the army for the HADES programme, intended to provide deep-sensing target detection and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) for the service. The Global 6500 will soon be sent as government-furnished equipment to Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) for conversion to HADES standard. Redelivery to the army is expected in January 2026.

“HADES is the centrepiece of the army's [intelligence] collection strategy, and the Global 6500 is the system that brings that strategy to life. This aircraft gives us the range, payload capacity, speed, and endurance to deliver timely, relevant, and responsive capabilities for the full spectrum of army and joint collection requirements,” said Andrew Evans, director of the army's ISR Task Force, in the statement.

The army selected SNC to provide HADES on 22 August, awarding the company a contract with a USD991.3 million ceiling to modify the Global 6500s with its Rapidly Configurable – X (RAPCON-X) electronic sensing system. The Global 6500 will also require aerodynamic modifications, notably the addition of two stabilising fins beneath the aircraft's tail.

HADES is intended to replace the Beechcraft RC-12X Guardrail fleet as the army's primary target-detection and target-fixing aircraft. The business jets can fly faster, farther, higher, and heavier than the turboprop-powered RC-12s, allowing them to arrive on station faster, stay longer, and detect targets from longer range.