Onboard equipment for patrol aircrafts to be displayed at MAKS-2013 airshow

Italian Selex ES enterprise, part of the Finmeccanica company, has brought onboard equipment for patrol aircraft, which Rosoboronexport seeks to market in third countries, to the MAKS-2013 aerospace show. Rosoboronexport and Finmeccanica signed a corresponding agreement on the development or modernization of various types of Russian patrol aircraft for their subsequent deliveries to the global market at the Farnborough air show in 2012. A source at Finmeccanica told ARMS-TASS that at Zhukovsky show will be exposed technical means and solutions for C4ISTAR command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance system for air-, land- and sea-based platforms. All these instruments are used for enhancing situation awareness, observation and self-defense. The means include the ATOS system for controlling the accomplishment of combat missions, GABBIANO radar surveillance system, and the EOST 46 passive electro-optical surveillance and tracking system. Russian patrol aircrafts offered by Rosoboronexport to third countries will carry the Selex-made ATOS system and lightweight air torpedoes made by WASS Company which is also part of Finmeccanica. Italian equipment can be also installed in helicopters and used particularly in modernizing versatile Ka-28 helicopters produced for Indian naval air service. A Rosoboronexport source told ARMS-TASS earlier that a new patrol aircraft will be able to accomplish such missions as border observation and control, including sea borders, seeking out smugglers, drug traffickers, and illegal immigration channels. The aircraft can also patrol exclusive economic zones and oil derricks, carry out search-and-rescue operations, monitor the environment, and spot pollutions. Military modifications of the patrol aircraft can be developed for ensuring law and order, for accomplishing anti-submarine missions, and sea piracy control. Within the framework of cooperation with Rosoboronexport, Italian companies from Finmeccanica supply radio stations of very-high and ultra-high frequencies for Russian surface ships acquired by third countries, as well as infrared detectors for the Russian army. The Italian company also launched cooperation with Russian enterprises in the field of observation and ensuring of sea safety. This cooperation may result in finding applications in promotion and deliveries of integrated observation systems based on radar stations developed by Selex and by the Long-Range Radio Communication Research Institute.