Luxembourg assisting Malta in migration patrols

The Luxembourg government is supporting the Air Wing of the Armed Forces of Malta by providing a leased Casa 212.CC maritime patrol aircraft for duties during the ongoing Frontex joint operation Nautilus.

The aircraft, which is expected to arrive today will be operated from Luqa by an AFM air crew under the supervision of an instructor from CAE Aviation of Luxembourg, which owns the Casa.

The leased aircraft will be the largest and first turbine-powered fixed-wing aircraft to be operated by the AFM's Air Wing. It can be flown by day and night in almost any weather and is equipped with a powerful nose-mounted search radar, thermal imaging and homing equipment. A ramp at the rear makes it possible to drop survival equipment from the air. The aircraft arriving today was previously operated by the Swedish Navy in an anti-submarine role.

It now carries Maltese military markings and will continue to do so until the end of the Nautilus joint operation.

The other EU member state supporting the AFM with operational assets in this joint operation is Germany.