Delivery Fulfills Contract For U.S. Customs and Border
Control
Field Aviation Company Inc. said in a news release Tuesday it
has delivered the last of seven Dash 8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft
(MPA) for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Customs and
Border Patrol (CBP).
Following a thorough evaluation of aircraft, sensors and
modifiers, Field Aviation modified the first Dash 8 Series 200 MPA
aircraft for CBP in 2004, and additional aircraft were subsequently
ordered such that the fleet now consists of four Dash 8 Series 200s
and three larger Series 300 aircraft.
Field Aviation's role in this program has been to receive each
aircraft as a standard commercial version from the manufacturer,
modify the structure, interior, navigation and communications
equipment as well as other systems so the sensor hardware and the
mission management system could be installed by ATK Integrated
Systems in the USA prior to final delivery to CBP.
Taking advantage of the arrangements that have already been
established for exporting defence related products from Canada to
the USA, all of the modified aircraft for CBP were contracted
through the Canadian Commercial Corporation
(CCC).
Field Aviation's chief operating officer, Joar Gronlund said,
"This has been a very successful program for all parties involved,
and a successful example of international cooperation. When CBP
first started looking for Maritime Patrol Aircraft in this class,
Field Aviation was able to show and demonstrate one of the early
Dash 8 Series 200 aircraft before it was delivered to our customer
in Australia; this original MPA concept including the structural
modifications and the general layout has been the basis for each
succeeding customer variant.
"Field Aviation has never stood still with its development of
the Dash 8 MPA, and several new features were introduced to meet
specific CBP requirements, such as combined observation
windows/emergency exits and the 1,000 lbs Maximum Take Off Weight
increase," Gronlund added. "These improvements were subsequently
incorporated into the Australian fleet when this was expanded and
modernized between 2006 and 2007. We also ensured maximum
commonality between CBP's first four Series 200 MPAs and their
subsequent three larger Series 300 MPAs."
The primary elements of the surveillance system for CBP's Dash 8
MPAs consist of Raytheon's SeaVue 2032I Search Radar, L-3 Wescam's
MX-15 EO/IR turret feeding sensor information to ATK Integrated
System's ISADS Mission Management System.