Airborne Technologies integrates L-3 MX-10 ISR into U.K. National Police Air Service fixed-wing aircraft

BURLINGTON, Ontario, 8 Dec. 2015. Officials at Airborne Technologies GmbH in Austria needed electro-optic and infrared (EO/IR) imaging systems for use on the U.K. National Police Air Service’s (NPAS’s) new P68 fixed-wing aircraft. They found their solution at L-3 WESCAM in Burlington, Canada, ordering four of the company’s MX-10 airborne surveillance and reconnaissance system.

The Vulcanair P68, formerly the Partenavia P68, is an Italian six-seat, twin-engine, high-wing monoplane built by Vulcanair.

Airborne Technologies, as the prime contractor and integrator for the NPAS fixed-wing program, will procure and integrate L-3’s MX-10 with displays, a moving map and a digital video recorder, and will downlink the integrated solution into its own Airborne LINX mission system. MX-10 deliveries to Airborne Technologies will begin in March 2016.

“This order expands L-3’s presence in the police air support marketplace and adds to the number of MX-10 systems currently supporting tactical ISR missions throughout the U.K.,” says Paul Jennison, vice president of government sales and business development for L-3 WESCAM. “We are very proud that our MX-10 has been selected as a key component of the fixed-wing fleet’s mission system and are looking forward to a long and successful partnership with both the U.K. NPAS and Airborne Technologies.”

Operating throughout England and Wales, L-3’s MX-10s will be configured with 4-axis stabilization and a suite of advanced sensors, including a four field-of-view thermal imager, daylight continuous zoom TV, low-light continuous zoom TV and a 300 mm spotter. In addition, the system’s suite of MX-GEO technologies will provide accurate geographical data and advanced tracking assistance.

L-3 WESCAM’s MX-10 underwent extensive NPAS flight trials from both fixed- and rotary-wing platforms in 2014, which led to its selection in October 2014 for the high-profile NPAS EC135T2 helicopter upgrade program.

L-3 WESCAM designs and manufactures stabilized, multi-spectral imaging systems for airborne-, land-, and marine-based platforms.

Headquartered in New York City, L-3 employs approximately 45,000 people worldwide and is a prime contractor in aerospace systems and national security solutions. L-3 is also a provider of a broad range of communication and electronic systems and products used on military and commercial platforms. The company reported 2014 sales of $12.1 billion.