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In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by L3Harris Technologies vice president for Australia and New Zealand, Alan Clements, to discuss the arrival of the Royal Australian Air Force’s new MC-55A Peregrine aircraft.
Clements is a former F/A-18 Classic Hornet instructor and previously served as commanding officer of No. 77 Squadron. He became an air commodore in 2011 and retired from the Royal Australian Air Force as an air vice-marshal in 2020.
He also served as commandant of the Australian Defence Force Academy from 2013 to 2016, then as the Australian defence attaché to the United States from 2017 to 2020 and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia.
During the podcast, the pair discuss the MC-55A Peregrine and its significance for Australia’s intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and electronic warfare capabilities, including the following:
- The arrival of the first MC-55A Peregrine aircraft in Australia and its role in strengthening the ADF’s ISR and electronic warfare capabilities.
- How the platform, based on a modified Gulfstream G550 business jet, provides high-altitude, high-speed intelligence collection across the electromagnetic spectrum.
- The benefits of adapting commercial aircraft for military ISR missions, including lower operating costs, easier maintenance and greater flexibility.
- The role of the MC-55A in enhancing Australia’s situational awareness and decision making across the Indo-Pacific region.
- Future upgrades, technological challenges and the importance of rapid software and hardware development to keep pace with evolving threats.
The growing importance of the electromagnetic spectrum and artificial intelligence in modern warfare and defence operations.
Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team
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