Dassault Aviation delivered the third upgraded Atlantique 2 (ATL2) maritime patrol aircraft to the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), according to a statement made on 28 April.
The aircraft was upgraded to DGA Standard 6 as a result of a contract signed in October 2013. The contract covers the modernisation of 18 aircraft in total, seven of which will be completed between 2019 and 2023.
Standard 6 configuration includes a new Thales Search Master radar with active antenna, a new navigation console and tactical display subsystem along with a new WESCAM optronic ball.
This will enable the ATL2 to support the operational capacity of the Strategic Ocean Force and the Naval Air Group of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier until 2030.
France is one of a handful of countries modernising its maritime patrol aircraft to combine enhanced detection capabilities with a range of anti-ship missiles, torpedoes and laser-guided weapons.
The company has tested over 15 mission sets for the drone, with the rotorcraft used to demonstrate the viability of armed forces utilising large uncrewed aerial systems’ (UAS) for autonomous missions in the future.
The US Navy’s answer to a sixth-generation fighter has experienced a range of setbacks and delays to the programme, with only $47 million in this latest proposed budget set aside for completing the aircraft.
The UAE’s Edge Group has been positioning itself as a key defence and technology partner to Indonesia, where it has been focusing on naval platforms, UAVs and long-term industrial collaboration.
With roughly 80% of combat missions flown by Typhoons in Europe, the Eurofighter consortium is emphasising the continued relevance of its jet and wants to ramp up production to continue to deliver combat mass in light of a shifting geo-political world order.
In the past 18 months, Boeing’s MQ-28A Ghost Bat uncrewed aerial system (UAS) has achieved several milestones including teaming with manned aircraft, achieving 100 flight hours and training of first military pilot.
The order for two more aircraft for the NATO Multinational Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT) fleet comes as Airbus considers increasing A330 MRTT production to meet demand.
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