On March 12, the second MC-55A Peregrine reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft landed at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base in Edinburgh in South Australia after a transport flight from the US. The journey lasted many days with stops in Hawaii and Guam before reaching Australia.
The aircraft is developed from the Gulfstream G550 commercial jet line and will be transferred to the 10th Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force. The main task of the MC-55A is to collect signal intelligence, electromagnetic surveillance and support aerial reconnaissance operations.
This aircraft is integrated with a mission system in the US before being handed over to Australia. This is the second aircraft in the plan to purchase 4 aircraft under the AIR 555 program to build reconnaissance and specialized airborne electronic warfare capabilities for Canberra.
Previously, the first MC-55A Peregrine was handed over to Australia on January 22, 2026. This procurement program is implemented under the US mechanism of selling weapons abroad, with a total project value estimated at about 2.46 billion Australian dollars.
The MC-55A Peregrine can fly at high altitudes and operate continuously for long periods of time. The aircraft is equipped with many sensors and antennas to detect radar signals, intercept communications and map the electromagnetic environment in the operating area.
The collected information can be transmitted to command centers or shared with other forces almost in real time. Thanks to that, the aircraft contributes to supporting target identification and improving the combat coordination capabilities of military forces.
According to the plan, the MC-55A aircraft will operate from RAAF Edinburgh base and coordinate with other Australian surveillance systems such as P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft and MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicles.
