– Leonardo has signed a contract with the General Command of the Port Authorities - Coast Guard for the supply of an ATR42-600 Maritime Patrol (MP) aircraft. The acquisition is part of a renewal plan for the General Command's air fleet, which already operates with three MP aircraft based on ATR 42-400 and ATR 42-500.
The ATR 42 MP, developed and produced from the ATR 42-600 turboprop regional aircraft platform, is an aircraft that very well expresses Leonardo's capabilities both in terms of platform and systems. The aircraft is equipped with multi-domain sensors, latest-generation search and communication systems and can transmit and receive information in real time, optimising operations along the entire chain of command.
The ATR42 MP will be integrated into the Corps' naval and air force system as part of the multiple roles assigned to the Coast Guard, including maritime patrolling along the entire national coastline and in international waters, also carried out thanks to the advanced technological equipment integrated into its fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
Already in service with dedicated versions with other Italian government operators, the aircraft is equipped with the Leonardo ATOS (Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance) modular mission system. ATOS manages the aircraft's wide array of sensors, combining the information received into an overall tactical situation and presenting the results to operators in the most suitable format, providing an excellent and constantly updated situational overview even in complex operations.
The aircraft integrates the characteristics of reliability, maintainability, low life cycle cost and comfort of the ATR 42-600 from which it derives and can guarantee the crew a level of ergonomics that increases their efficiency and effectiveness during maritime patrol, search and rescue, environmental surveillance, marine pollution control, navigation safety, maritime traffic surveillance and fishing surveillance missions, also thanks to an autonomy of 8 hours of flight.
