Company Will Covert Planes To Maritime Surveillance
Aircraft
Last week, Field
Aviation took delivery of the first of three Bombardier Dash 8 Q300
aircraft the company will be converted to Maritime Surveillance
Aircraft for the Swedish Coast Guard. The aircraft will be
converted at the company's Toronto facility, as part of an $80
million project to supply the Swedish Coast Guard with the
planes.
All three aircraft will be handed over to the Swedish government
during 2007.
At the delivery ceremony at Bombardier’s Toronto
manufacturing facility, Joseph Farrell, Field’s president and
CEO, said this contract is an affirmation of the company’s
international reputation as a world leader in development and
modification of aircraft platforms into airborne surveillance and
patrol aircraft.
"Dash 8 Maritime Surveillance Aircraft modified by Field are in
service with the US Customs and Border Protection Agency, and with
the Australian Customs Service Coastwatch, which put us in a good
position to comply with and win this contract for the Swedish
government," Farrell said. "The technical requirements are
stringent and our modification center is already up to speed on
this $US 80 million contract."
The Swedish MSAs will have multi-mission capability -- including
search and rescue, maritime sovereignty patrol, interdiction,
medevac and other first-response activities.
The Dash 8's speed and endurance capabilities will allow shorter
transit times and much more time on-station when compared to
Guard's existing fleet of CASA 212s, and this will allow the
Swedish Coast Guard to increase both environmental and fisheries
surveillance as well as border control and customs duties. The
basic Dash 8 Q300 aircraft platform will be equipped with
long-range fuel tanks for 8+ hours endurance, and an auxiliary
power unit.
Field will outfit the aircraft with maritime search radar, an
electro-optical/infra-red pod, side-looking radar and an
infra-red/ultra-violet line scanner. All sensors will feed
into an integrated data handling system from L-3
Communications–Integrated Systems.
Additionally, Field's recently-certificated air-operable rear
door will allow the Coast Guard to deploy location flares, oil
sampling buoys and larger items such as inflatable life rafts, when
required.
Formed in 1947, Field Aviation is based in Toronto, Ontario and
Calgary, Alberta, and provides services to the business aviation
and special-purpose market internationally.