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IAI turns a business jet into a multi-mission spy plane
NewsAviationPRESS RELEASES
ByDylan Malyasov
Jul 20, 2026
Modified date: Jul 20, 2026
Image by IAIIsrael Aerospace Industries introduced ELLYON, a multi-mission aircraft that combines electronic attack capabilities with advanced intelligence-gathering sensors into what the company calls a single, all-in-one airborne platform, built to operate from hundreds of kilometers away while keeping the aircraft and its crew out of an enemy’s direct line of fire.
Electronic attack refers to the practice of disrupting an adversary’s radar, communications, or other electronic systems using targeted radio frequency jamming, effectively blinding or confusing enemy sensors and networks without firing a single weapon. ELLYON pairs that capability with what the military calls ISTAR, an acronym covering intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance, meaning the aircraft doesn’t just disrupt enemy systems but simultaneously collects detailed information about them, including signals intelligence gathered by intercepting enemy radio and radar transmissions, synthetic aperture radar imagery capable of tracking moving ground targets at long range, and electro-optical sensor data collected through onboard cameras.
IAI said the aircraft can execute radar jamming and communications jamming simultaneously within a single mission, letting operators disrupt multiple types of enemy systems at once rather than choosing one target category per flight, a capability the company said enables coordinated effects against advanced integrated air defense systems.
Boaz Levy, IAI’s Chairman of the Board, framed ELLYON as an extension of decades of Israeli work building specialized intelligence aircraft.
“IAI has been at the forefront of developing advanced intelligence aircraft, combining technological innovation and operational expertise,” Levy said. “ELLYON continues this legacy by integrating advanced intelligence collection, Electronic Attack and AI-driven mission management into a single platform, providing a decisive operational advantage in evolving battlespace.”
IAI’s ELTA Systems subsidiary, founded in 1967 and based in Ashdod, has spent decades converting commercial business jets, primarily the Gulfstream G550 built by General Dynamics in Savannah, Georgia, into specialized intelligence platforms for the Israeli Air Force and export customers. The company’s existing lineup includes the Eitam airborne early warning and control aircraft, the Shavit signals intelligence platform, and the more recently fielded Oron, a G550-based aircraft equipped with an advanced radar and AI-driven data processing that entered active service during Israel’s war against Hamas and flew nearly 100 operational sorties within its first months in the field. ELTA has also sold similar special mission aircraft to export customers, including a contract with Italy for G550-based intelligence platforms that drew political scrutiny in Rome given the sensitivity of purchasing surveillance technology from an Israeli state-owned defense company.
Choosing a business jet as the underlying airframe rather than a larger, purpose-built military aircraft is a deliberate strategy IAI has followed across this entire product line, since a business jet platform costs considerably less to acquire and operate than a dedicated military intelligence aircraft while still offering enough range, altitude, and interior space to carry the radar, sensor, and computing equipment these missions require. ELLYON continues that approach, with IAI describing the aircraft as platform-agnostic and capable of integration onto multiple large business jet types rather than being permanently tied to a single airframe, giving customers flexibility to select whichever business jet platform best fits their existing fleet and maintenance infrastructure.
Dror Bar, CEO of ELTA Systems and an Executive Vice President at IAI, described ELLYON as a meaningful step forward in how quickly military commanders can turn raw intelligence into action.
“ELLYON represents a technological leap forward, combining stand-off operations with the ability to sense, understand and shape the electromagnetic battlespace,” Bar said. “ELLYON shortens intelligence-to-action cycles and enhances freedom of action in the most demanding operational environments.”
That claim about shortening the intelligence-to-action cycle points to one of ELLYON’s most significant technical additions compared to earlier IAI intelligence aircraft. The aircraft runs an AI-based multi-mission management system that processes data collected from its own onboard sensors, automatically generates intelligence insights from that raw data, and transmits the results in real time via satellite communications to command centers, ground control stations, and other aircraft operating nearby. Earlier generations of special mission aircraft have typically required data to be processed either onboard by a larger dedicated crew or after landing, and automating a meaningful share of that analysis in flight, then distributing it instantly across a networked battlefield, could meaningfully cut the delay between spotting a threat and acting on it, though IAI has not disclosed independent testing data confirming exactly how much faster that process runs compared to its existing aircraft.
ELLYON also includes what IAI describes as a self-protection suite built to detect threats, warn the crew, and deploy electronic countermeasures automatically, a defensive layer that matters considerably given the aircraft’s mission profile keeps it operating near contested airspace rather than safely behind friendly lines. IAI has not disclosed which customers, if any, have committed to purchasing ELLYON, and the company’s announcement did not include a timeline for when the aircraft might enter operational service with the Israeli Air Force or any export customer.
