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Naval
Defense Industry News - France, Turkey |
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Thales delivers first MELTEM II CASA CN-235 maritime surveillance aircraft
to Turkey |
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Thales
has achieved delivery of the first of three maritime surveillance aircraft
under the Meltem II programme for Turkey. This aircraft will be operated
by the Turkish Coast Guard from Izmir Air Base. Pierre Eric Pommellet,
Senior Vice-President of Thales Group, officially handed over the aircraft
at a ceremony held at the Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI) facility
in Ankara. The official hand-over was presided by Turkish Minister of
Interior, Mr Idris Naim Sahin, who thanked all contributors to the programme
and its main contractor Thales for “delivering a state-of-the-art
aircraft which will enable the Turkish Coast Guards to perform their
surveillance duty up to 120 miles from the coast”. |
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Turkish
Navy MELTEM II CASA CN-235 MPA
Designed around a latest-generation integrated tactical command system,
the AMASCOS solution ties together multiple sensors – radar, FLIR,
ESM, acoustic system, AIS, MAD, SLAR radar, IR/UV scanner – to
detect, identify and track threats, maintain real-time tactical situation
awareness, manage NATO and national tactical datalinks and deploy onboard
weapon systems.
(picture: internet)
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The
ceremony was also attended by the Undersecretary for Defence Industries
(SSM), the Turkish Coast Guards Chief Admiral, and the Turkish Coast
Guard Izmir Air-base Commander. The French Ambassador to Turkey also
attended the ceremony with a representative of the French defence procurement
agency (DGA), as well as the General Managers of TAI, Havelsan, Aselsan
and Milsoft, the Turkish companies involved in the programme.
This marks the delivery of the first maritime surveillance aircraft
equipped with the Thales AMASCOS mission system, which will provide
the Turkish Coast Guards with an enhanced capability to better monitor
the Turkish Exclusive Economic Zone and Territorial Waters.
This maritime surveillance aircraft is designed to perform a broad spectrum
of missions including:
» Surface Surveillance and Naval control, anti-drug and other
types of smuggling operations, the prevention of illegal immigration
and illicit fishing
» Maritime pollution surveillance, with the provision of enhanced
evidence collection capabilities, essential to this kind of operation
» Search and rescue operations.
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Delivery
Ceremony
(picture: Thales)
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Thales
is the prime contractor for the Meltem II programme, which calls for
the delivery of six maritime patrol aircraft for the Turkish Navy and
three maritime surveillance aircraft for the Turkish Coast Guard, all
based on modified CASA CN-235 platforms. The programme also includes
the provision of additional maritime patrol systems to the Turkish Navy,
to be integrated on ATR 72 aircraft. All mission systems are based on
Thales's AMASCOS solution (Airborne Maritime Situation & Control
System).
This success marks a new major milestone in the Meltem II programme,
and follows the delivery of four maritime patrol aircraft (initial standard)
to the Turkish Navy during the first semester of 2012. This is further
testament to the maturity of the AMASCOS solution and further consolidates
Thales's market leadership in maritime surveillance and patrol systems.
The programme represents the latest validation of Thales’s position
as a world-class systems supplier and integrator offering a broad spectrum
of mission critical systems, able to meet specific requirements of both
armed forces and civilian protection agencies from across the world. |
