Dassault Aviation has successfully delivered the first two ATL2 maritime patrol aircraft upgraded to ‘standard 6’ to the French Navy.
The delivery follows a contract awarded to the company by the French defence procurement agency, DGA, in October 2013.
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Under the upgrade contract, Dassault Aviation was tasked with modernising the combat system on a fleet of 18 ATL2 aircraft to ‘standard 6’.
Work on the contract is being carried out by co-contractors Dassault Aviation and Thales, along with Naval Group and SIAé.
Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier said: “This expertise as an architect of maritime patrol solutions, both for the platform and for systems integration, is the result of experience dating back to the late 1950s and the launch of the ATL1 programme, the predecessor of the ATL2.
“As we have shown once again with the ‘standard 6’, this maritime patrol/maritime surveillance expertise builds largely on the trust and the excellent working relations between our company, the DGA and the French Navy, to which I express my sincere gratitude. We will leverage this know-how to prepare together maritime patrol solutions beyond 2030.”
Enhancements being added to the aircraft include Thales Search Master with active antenna, Thales acoustic subsystem, Dassault Aviation’s new navigation console, and SIAé-developed tactical display subsystem consoles.
With the ‘standard 6’ upgrade, the French Navy’s ATL2 aircraft will enable future nuclear or conventional submarines and naval forces to better tackle latest threats, as well as support air-land missions until 2030.
From 2020-2023, an additional five upgraded ATL2s will be delivered by Dassault Aviation. The remaining 11 aircraft will be modified by the SIAé aeronautical maintenance centre.
