E-9A Widget

The E-9A Widget is a specialized airborne platform designed for ocean surface surveillance and telemetry relay. This aircraft provides range safety and target tracking for missile testing conducted over the Gulf of Mexico Ranges, operating out of Tyndall AFB, Florida. Only two units of this aircraft were built and delivered in 1988, having been developed from the De Havilland Canada DHC-8-101.

Bombardier’s association with this platform traces through its history with De Havilland Canada (DHC). DHC developed the foundational DHC-8, which first flew in 1983. Bombardier acquired DHC in 1992, subsequently becoming the manufacturer of aircraft in this lineage. The E-9A was originally converted by Sierra Nevada Corp. from the DHC-8.

To maintain this unique surveillance aircraft, a variety of access solutions are necessary. Specialized stands and platforms allow for detailed maintenance of sections like the nose avionics, the wing box area, and the engine pylon components. Access solutions facilitate thorough inspections of the tail section, including the vertical and horizontal stabilizers, and detailed work on the landing gear and forward fuselage systems.