Austrian aircraft manufacturer Diamond Aircraft and Italy’s Leonardo announced at the Dubai Airshow that the two companies were now offering the Leonardo Gabbiano Ultra-Light TS-80 radar as an option on the Diamond Aircraft DA62 MSA.
Integration of the radar onto the aircraft is expected to be completed by early 2020. The aircraft, which was launched at the Paris Air Show in June, was initially equipped with a TS-20 radar. The TS-80, which can output 80 watts of power, can provide longer-range surveillance than the TS-20.
The system is integrated with the Gabbiano mission system suite, which allows for the aircraft to conduct missions such as air-to-sea surveillance with Track While Scan (TWS), high-resolution ground mapping, ship target imaging and classification, and navigation with ground mapping and weather avoidance.
The DA62 MSA was developed in conjunction with Leonardo, fitting a Leonardo ATOS (Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance) mission system, TS-20 radar, and electro-optic/infra-red (EO/IR) turret onto the Diamond Aircraft DA62.
Additional sensor systems that could be incorporated onto the platform include Leonardo’s SAGE electronic support measures system for radio-frequency electronic intelligence gathering, and the Spider communications intelligence system for direction finding, interception, and geolocation of communications signals.
The news comes shortly after Diamond Aircraft demonstrated another variant of the DA62, the MPP, to the UAE. The aircraft is fitted with a spine-mounted Thuraya Aero Satellite System and a nose-mounted Trakka SWE-400 LE EO/IR gimbal.
The Diamond Aircraft DA62 MPP fitted with the Thuraya Aero Satellite System and Trakka SWE-400 LE EO/IR gimbal. (Diamond Aircraft)
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