The European Border Control Agency (Frontex) has awarded Indra a service
contract which incorporates the company's P2006T MRI aircraft into the
EPN Triton maritime surveillance operation in the central zone of the
Mediterranean Sea. The agency signed a framework agreement with Indra
last August which qualified the company to bid in this type of tender,
which Frontex uses to covers its response needs in the case of crisis
situations. Indra's MRI P2006T had to compete with aircraft from companies
from all over Europe, thus demonstrating its outstanding capabilities. |
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Starting
March 10 and throughout the whole of this month, the MRI is conducting
surveillance tasks in the area around southern Italy to track the movement
of illegal vessels engaged in trafficking immigrants, and to provide
support for lifesaving efforts. The aircraft collects in-flight information
and conveys it in real-time to the system's control station at its headquarters
in the Italian airport of Brindisi.
This information is simultaneously shared with the Coordination
and Control Center (LCC) of the Italian Guardia di Finanza located in
Pomezia (Rome), and the Frontex offices in Warsaw, which supervise the
whole operation.
Indra's P2006T MRI is equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance systems
and can effectively monitor large areas. It has a FLIR Systems large-format
latest-generation high-definition electro-optical camera, a SELEX Galileo
Radar Seaspray 5000E radar, and an AIS vessel identification system.
It can monitor areas between the coastline and 150 miles out to sea,
with patrols lasting between four and six hours.
This technology detects the vessels so as to coordinate interception
and lifesaving activities. Since the EPN's Triton operation was launched
in November 2014 it has helped almost 22,300 migrants, including over
7,000 who received direct help from vessels and aircraft participating
in the operation.
The European agency Frontex has opted to use the MRI P2006T in its operations,
after having verified its efficacy on several missions. The MRI plane
took part in Frontex's Operation Indalo with the Spanish Civil Guard,
when it completed more than 180 flying hours; and in the Operation Close
Eye in which Frontex assessed its efficacy in the surveillance of the
Sicilian Channel, and when it completed 120 flying hours. Indra's light
aircraft has also passed tests in such demanding environments as the
North Sea in Scotland. |
