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Austria-based Diamond Airborne Sensing,a 100% subsidiary of Diamond AircraftIndustries, returned to the Marrakech

Airshow this year to introduce its fully equippedmaritime surveillance patrol aircraft to the Africanmarket.

Equipped with a combination of maritimeradar, an EO/IR camera, an automaticidentification system (AIS) and a data-link, theremote sensing platform DA42 MPP Guardian isnow able to fly off-shore missions.

Diamond Airborne Sensing developed aspecial SAR pod for the maritime radar that ismounted under the belly of the aircraft. “Theradar application is brand new but the aircraft hasbeen on the market since 2006,” explainedMarkus Fischer, marketing & sales director.

Using Scotty – a beyond-line-of-sight satellitetransmission – it is possible to transmit data fromthe aircraft to wherever the customer wants tohave the picture. “It’s fully secure, so people can’tdecode the messages we send. You can do voice,HD pictures, live media or chat; you can send thisfrom the aircraft to the ground, or the other wayround,” explained Fischer.

“The whole world is fighting with budget cutsand we are actually offering a very cost-effectivesolution, especially in places like Africa where it’simportant to have a simple solution that isreliable,” said Fischer.

Important target marketHe continued: “North Africa is a very importanttarget market. We are fuel-independent and thisis what they are looking for. The aircraft is alsovery easy to maintain and that’s also veryimportant because helicopters are difficult tomaintain. Sometimes to build up a maintenanceshop takes a lot of time and is very complex. Thisis not what customers are looking for; they wantto fly all the time.”

Diamond hopes that the company’s completepackage offering will appeal to the Africanmarket. “We can do everything in-house, we areindependent. So the customer has us as a singlepoint of contact, which is also important tomilitary organisations or police forces, becausethey don’t want to talk to lots of differentsuppliers,” said Fischer.

“Training, maintenance training, spare parts,ground stations, satellite communication – weoffer the whole thing. We are now ready to set upa mission management system on ground and theair unit as well.”

The aircraft includes a number of special

Keeping an eye on the A number of companies saw the Marrakech Airshow as the perfect opportunity to displaytheir maritime surveillance offerings. Kelly Green looks at who was there.

features for carrying out missions. “The aircraftis powered by our own diesel engine, which wehave developed. It’s a fully-faded control, so it’svery simple to fly, which is very important if youfly missions, because the pilot has to look outsideand work for the mission as well,” explainedFischer.

The DA42 MPP Guardian also features an on-top exhaust system. “We changed the exhaustpipe from looking downwards to lookingupwards and it’s mixed with a muffler,” Fischerexplained. “We’re mixing hot air from the exhaustwith cold air and that reduces the infraredsignature of the aircraft to a level where people onthe ground can hardly detect the aircraft. If you flyat 1,000ft then the aircraft is making less noisethan a passing car, so if you fly at the typicalmission altitude of 6,000-12,000ft, there’sabsolutely no chance people will hear the aircraftusing the on-top exhaust system.

“There are two approaches to surveillance. Thefirst is to be very noisy and very active so peopleknow that you’re there and don’t do anything bad,or you be very quiet and don’t let the people know

that you’re there – and that is our approach.”The MPP will also come in a completely new

grey military look, designed as another way ofdecreasing the risk of detection. “The aircraft isfully painted grey, which is more-or-less a militaryoption because it is reducing the sun reflection,”said Fischer.

Another next-generation airborne maritimesurveillance platform on display was the TecnamMRI (multi-sensor reconnaissance andidentification).

Security and defence solutionsThe aircraft has been developed by globaladvanced technology security and defencesolutions company INDRA, in partnership withItalian aircraft manufacturer Tecnam, SELEXGalileo, FLIR Systems and AirborneTechnologies, the Austrian-based remote sensingand sensor integration company.“With Indra and our partners we have developeda solution for maritime patrol aircraft and this isthe market launch – the first time we are showingthe aircraft here – because the African market is avery important market to us,” said Tecnam MRI’sAlejandro Martinez Recasens.

Specifically developed to patrol those maritimezones currently kept under surveillance bycoastguards utilising medium-size helicoptersand large maritime patrol aircraft, the TecnamMRI offers a smaller alternative for maritimesecurity and coastal patrol missions.

“The idea is to use a small aircraft for maritimesurveillance, which is cost-effective and easier to

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surveillance marketmaintain and to fly,” Martinez explained.

Also on display was Daher-Socata’s TBM-MMA multi-mission configuration – a TBM700B modified to serve as a multi-mission aircraft(MMA) demonstrator –which was being shownfor the first time in Africa.

“This year’s Marrakesh show provides anexcellent opportunity to present the TBM-MMAfor Africa, where the multi-role aircraft isperfectly tailored as a highly affordable, cost-effective multi-mission airborne platform for bothsecurity and governmental operators,” saidNicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of theDaher-Socata airplane division.

“It is based on the proven TBM very fastturboprop aircraft product line – which has anexcellent operational and maintenance record,especially in service with the French armedforces.”

In its intelligence, reconnaissance andsurveillance (ISR) configuration, as it was shownat the event, the TBM-MMA is outfitted with a

laser rangefinder and a laser designator to marktargets.

Control of the turret is performed from insidethe cabin with a portable operator’s console thatdisplays video images and also handles signalprocessing. A data recording function is availablefor the processing of sensor information, whichcan be performed aboard the aircraft ordownlinked to an operational ground controlstation via a data transmission system.

For medical evacuation missions, the TBM-MMA is equipped with a stretcher and patientloader system, with the ability for rapid cabinreconfiguration to passenger seats for liaisonduties.

Daher-Socata believes that the TBM-MMA iswell suited for armed forces, governmentalagencies and contract operators, providing ananswer to needs as diverse as urban security, thefight against trafficking and pollution, border andcoastal surveillance, aerial detection of forestfires, medevac and other applications.

A multitude of sensor equipment can be installed onaircraft that are more often recognised for generalaviation and business use.gyro-stabilised multi-sensor turret located underthe aircraft’s aft fuselage. This electrically-drivensystem is fully-retractable and accommodates upto four latest-generation sensors, includinginfrared and electro-optical systems, along with a

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