Leonardo has delivered two King Air 350 extended-range (ER) multi-mission, twin-engine turboprop aircraft with pre-installed surveillance sensors and mission system.
The aircraft have entered service with an undisclosed African Navy. Leonardo has served as the prime contractor and systems integrator for the project.
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The mission-ready aircraft has been certified to be airborne by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
These Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) are equipped with a fully integrated package with Seaspray E-scan surveillance radar and ATOS mission system.
The MPAs also feature an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) transponder and interrogator, Link 11 datalink and third-party electro-optical turret.
They are capable of conducting a range of operations including search and rescue, littoral security, and the monitoring of illegal migration, fishing and pollution.
Leonardo’s E-scan ‘Seaspray’ maritime radar is available in a patented small-target-detection function.
The ATOS mission system augments all the data together into reducing the workload of ‘single tactical picture’ for operators.
ATOS is in operation on-board more than different aircraft types, with more than 60 systems installed on various platforms.
The King Air 350ER is designed and manufactured by Beechcraft Augsburg, a subsidiary of Textron Aviation.
The company noted that its ‘surveillance-ready’ offering has attracted interest from Asia-Pacific and the Middle East customers.
The company said in a statement: “Leonardo sees this model as a growth area for the company, with its ability to draw on its broad in-house expertise in sensors, mission systems and platform integration allowing it to offer a tailored, mission-ready aircraft to customers in a cost-effective manner.”
