Israel is equipping its air force's Beechcraft B200 Super King Air ("Zofit") reconnaissance aircraft with the Globus moving map-based data network system.
Previously installed on Israel's Boeing 707 and Lockheed Martin C-130 tankers, the equipment allows pilots to transfer digital data to the ground and to other aircraft, and will improve the situational awareness of crews, the commander of its Sde Dov air base told the Israeli air force magazine. Used to perform optical reconnaissance plus communications and electronic intelligence tasks, the Zofit unit is one of the service's busiest squadrons.
In June, a prototype was installed on one of the air force's Zofit-3 aircraft, and series modifications are now under way.
The installation of the Globus system on the King Air is another step towards Israel's creation of a networked system that will enable the pilots of all types of aircraft to access the data that they require, without the use of their radios.
Source: Flight International
