Canada’s PAL Aerospace unveiled its Force Multiplier on-demand Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance special mission platform at the Dubai Airshow on Monday.
PAL retains ownership of the aircraft, and manages operation and maintenance, while contracting clients acquire the data and experience that they require, a press release from the company said.
“The announcement of this ISR asset is transformational for our organization,” Brian Chafe, Chief Executive Officer of PAL Aerospace said. “We are committed to delivering this platform so our customers can react when they need it most.”
The solution fits interim and immediate requirements for surveillance and training missions, the company says. According to Thales, the aircraft is suitable for a variety of operations including patrol, search and rescue at sea; immigration and border control; and surveillance of sporting events and forest fires. Other uses could include disaster relief, and assisting military missions.
The aircraft is a modified Bombardier Dash-8 Q300, available with full crew, by the hour, day, or month, Skies magazine reported. A typical six-person crew includes two pilots, one tactical coordinator, one radar operator and two observers.
The aircraft has more than 10 hours flight endurance, and clients can reserve flight hours starting in 2018. The plane will also be available for flight crew training for acquisition customers. PAL’s longer-term vision is a fleet of on-call fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft around the world.
Force Multiplier is equipped with two mission system suites: the modular AMASCOS management system from Thales, and the AIMS-ISR from CarteNav connected to a dedicated ground station. Both systems accommodate a range of ISR applications, and both integrate with Thales’ multimode AESA Searchmaster radar which the company says is the highest performance-to-weight radar available. Other equipment includes L3 Wescam’s MX-15 high definition imaging electro-optical/infrared camera, Saab’s marine automatic identification tracking and interrogation system and Inmarsat’s broadband and beyond-line-of-sight SATCOM connectivity.
“We are looking forward to delivering advanced ISR mission system and information management capabilities for a diversity of end customer’s mission requirements,” Paul Evans, President of CarteNav Solutions said. “In addition, Force Multiplier is a platform that is ideal for ongoing innovation and advanced product development.”