RSAF To Acquire G550 Maritime Surveillance Aircraft
By Atul Chandra
The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will enhance its maritime awareness capability and ability to provide early warning of maritime threats with three Gulfstream G550 Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (G550-MSA).
The acquisition was announced in February by Singapore’s Minister for Defence, Chan Chun Sing during the Committee of Supply Debate 2026.
The G550-MSA will be equipped with a maritime surveillance radar, Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensor, an integrated communications suite, Automatic Identification System (AIS) and self-protection suite. Each aircraft will have two flight crew and up to six mission crew. Endurance is quoted at nine hours.
L3Harris confirmed that it is not part of the Singaporean G550-MSA program.
The three G550-MSAs will complement the RSAF’s acquisition of four Boeing P-8A Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA). The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the estimated US$2.3 billion deal in January.
The P-8As will replace the RSAF’s turboprop Fokker 50 MPAs. The RSAF acquired a total of nine Dutch-built Fokker 50s in 1993. Five were modified locally for the maritime patrol role, while the remaining four aircraft were designated as utility transport aircraft.
An image released by Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) as part of a G550-MSA factsheet is actually that of the RSAF’s Gulfstream 550 Airborne Early Warning (G550-AEW). The image released by the MINDEF hints at the possibility the Sngaporean G-550 MSA will be IAI’s Oron special mission aircraft.
The RSAF operates four G550-AEW, which were inducted between February 2009 and October 2011 with 111 Squadron. The aircraft replaced the E-2C Hawkeye AEW platform in service. RSAF G550-AEWs are fitted with IAI Elta’s Conformal Airborne Early Warning & Control (CAEW) system, featuring the EL/W-2085 integrated sensor suite.
The radar has a detection range of over 200 nautical miles. The active arrays on either side of the fuselage operate in the L-band, while the nose and tail antennas operate in the S-band. The aircraft are also equipped with a radar warning receiver, missile warning system and chaff and flare dispensers.