Phoenix Air provides its military clients with the choice of using highly modified Phoenix Force aircraft for Electronic Attack (EA), Electronic Warfare (EW), Electronic Counter Measures (ECM), Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM), Communications Jamming, Target Towing, Target Drone Launch, Data Relay and other mission ready systems; or the ability to provide military clients a test bed aircraft for RDT&E on either a long-term or short-term contract basis.

Phoenix Force aircraft provide threat representative electronic warfare training for air-to-air and surface-to-air operators.  Airborne services include:

• Day-to-Day Training
• Exercises and Evaluations
• Weapons Meets
• ACMI Range Testing
• Intercept Controller Training
• Threat Simulations (Air-to-Ship)
• Aerial Target Towing for Live Fire Exercises
• Airborne BQM Drone Launches
• Link 4, 11, 16 Data Relay
• Telemetry Relay for Vandal and AMRAAM Testing

Gray Birds

 The most versatile aircraft owned and operated by Phoenix Air is its fleet of Gray Birds, highly modified Learjet 35/36 aircraft with internal EA, EW, ECM and ECCM systems, internal mission power, array of external antennas, and hard points under each wing for external pod or tow reel carriage.  Using a Phoenix Force custom modular designed system, these aircraft can be quickly configured for client-specified requirements, allowing Phoenix Air jets to perform multiple roles during mission sorties.  Phoenix Air Gray Birds are the ultimate in “plug and play” technology.

Gulfstream Aircraft

The Phoenix Force includes a number of Gulfstream G-I turboprop aircraft configured for special missions sorties.  These aircraft have a large interior allowing installation of multiple operator control stations and bulky electronic equipment.  These aircraft come equipped with internal mission power, external antennas and under-belly hard points.

Aerial Target Towing

Phoenix Air has modified most of its Learjets and Gulfstream G-I aircraft to provide aerial target towing services.  Company specialists install the Meggitt Defense Systems RM-30 two-way Tow Reel onto aircraft external hard points.  An operator inside the aircraft controls these tow reels.  The RM-30 allows the aerial target to be released and deployed up to 30,000-feet behind the aircraft on either a high-strength metal wire or non-radar reflective Kevlar cord.  At completion of the mission, the target can be reeled back to the aircraft and stowed for landing, allowing expensive arrays to be used multiple times.

Phoenix Force aerial targets include:

• Hayes TLX-1 height-keeping target
• TPT (onboard IR source target)
• EXW-1, TRX-9, RTT-9 (standard gunnery targets)
• Missed Distance Indicator (MDI) target heads and Scoring System available on modified EXW-1 targets (allows large caliber guns or cannons accuracy measurements without destroying expensive targets)

Aerial targets can be equipped as any of the following:

• Visual – light, smoke, banner, sleeve
• Radar – luneberg, reflectors
• Infrared – propane, jet fuel
• Height Keepers
• Calibrated Spheres for Radar Calibration

BQM-74 Aerial Target Drone Launch 

Phoenix Air designed, built, certified, owns and operates the only non-military aircraft capable of launching the Northrop BQM-74 Chukar Aerial Target Drone.  Modified Phoenix Air Gulfstream G-I aircraft carry two BQM-74 Chukar drones belly-mounted with a launch controller station inside the aircraft.  Phoenix Air also has data relay capabilities extending the on-shore Chukar “pilot’s” range significantly.

Mission ready Phoenix Air Gulfstream G-I launch aircraft include:

• Government certified for BQM-74 carriage and launch
• Dual view video taping of BQM-74 carriage and release operations
• Exceptional economy and flexibility of aerial launch operations relative to current ground launch options
• Modified Gulfstream G-I launch aircraft also equipped with digital RDR-1500B Surface Search Radar, UHF Autocat Relay and Link 16