Enhanced Atlantique 2 approaches IOC
One of the five upgraded ATL2s operated by Naval Air Squadron 21F, pictured on 18 September at an air show in Luxeuil, France. (Photo: Jean-Marc Tanguy)
Standard 6 upgrade for French maritime patrol aircraft includes new AESA radar and improved multispectral imaging.
Atlantique 2 (ATL2) maritime patrol aircraft for the French Navy are expected to reach IOC in October after the first few platforms completed an MLU to the Standard 6 configuration.
Five upgraded ATL2s had been delivered by mid-September and eight crews are qualified from Naval Air Squadron 21F in Britanny.
The enhanced aircraft have already flown missions off the coast of northern Europe to track Russian submarines, and this year they were deployed to the Arabian Gulf in support of the multinational Operation EMASOHin the Strait of Hormuz.
Each crew comprises 14 specialists led by a tactical operator (TACCO),
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