On Jul. 24, 2025, L3Harris Technologies and ELT Group, a leading Italian company in electromagnetic spectrum operations, have announced a new partnership to establish a multi-sensor test and calibration facility in Italy. The initiative marks the first time a dedicated Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) center of this kind will be located outside the United States.
The facility will be used to support commercial, military and government programs, including ISR and electronic warfare platforms such as the G550 Joint Airborne Multi-Mission, Multi-Sensor System and the EA-37B Electronic Attack aircraft. Additional support will extend to a range of air, naval and surface platforms.
According to L3Harris, the agreement will create an in-country capability that benefits both the Italian Armed Forces and allied nations, while also strengthening local industry.
“L3Harris’ industry partnerships deliver long-term benefits that support Italian businesses, while also maximizing mission readiness for military units,” said Jon Rambeau, President of Integrated Mission Systems at L3Harris. “This new sensor test facility further strengthens Italy’s defence infrastructure.”
ELT Group, which brings more than seven decades of experience in ISR, multi-mission systems and electronic attack support, will play a key role in the development of the new center.
“ELT Group is pleased to be selected as a partner company for this important program,” said Domitilla Benigni, CEO and COO of ELT Group. “This cooperation marks the first step in developing next-generation capabilities in the Italian test and operational range environment.”
The project is expected to contribute to a broader effort to enhance Italy’s autonomous capabilities in the ISR and EW domains while supporting NATO and allied interoperability.
EA-37B contract
The launch of the the new facility comes as the Italian government signed an acquisition contract with L3Harris for the procurement of two EA-37B Compass Call aircraft. The deal, worth $300 million, follows the approval of the Foreign Military Sale by the U.S. State Department in October 2024.
As explained in a previous story, the contract was announced three years after the Italian Ministry of Defense first mentioned the intention of acquiring the Electronic Attack system to equip two Gulfstream G-550 aircraft in its multiyear defense planning document.
Rendering of the Italian Air Force EA-37B (Image credit: L3Harris)
The acquisition makes Italy the first foreign government to acquire the highly classified Compass Call system: the Italian Air Force will become one of the few operators to field a combat proven, state-of-the-art and highly effective Electronic Attack capability.
Actually, Italy has pretty clear ideas about the future of its C4ISTAR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Reconnaissance) and CAEW/BM&C (Conformal Airborne Early Warning / Battle Management & Command) capabilities.
P-MMMS
Under the P-MMMS (Piattaforma Multi-Missione Multi-Sensore) program, the Italian Air Force has already acquired two G550-based CAEW (Conformal Airborne Early Warning) aircraft. A requirement for additional capabilities emerged in 2020, when the Defence Policy Document for 2020–2022 included plans for the acquisition of two G550 aircraft configured for SIGINT (Signal Intelligence) missions under the JAMMS (Joint Airborne Multi-sensor Multi-mission System) designation.
The Italian JAMMS program is being implemented in multiple phases. The first tranche, valued at 1.2 billion Euro, includes the procurement of two Full Mission Capable (FMC) aircraft and six additional “green” G550 airframes. These airframes are delivered in an unmodified state and can be converted at a later date to either JAMMS or CAEW configurations. The package also includes logistics and infrastructure support.
According to current plans, the Italian Air Force aims to field a fleet of ten modified G550 special mission aircraft: two CAEW platforms already in service, two new FMC-configured aircraft, and six green airframes.
A second phase of the program, worth 925 million Euro, covers the conversion of four of the six green aircraft.
In 2023, the Segredifesa/National Armaments Directorate approved the Air Force’s request to convert two of the green G550s—along with an option for a third—into the Full Mission Capable Electronic Attack (EA) configuration, under the second tranche of the program.