The Casa 212 maritime patrol aircraft, leased for the Armed Forces of Malta by the Luxembourg government, arrived yesterday to support the ongoing Frontex operation Nautilus. The aircraft is 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. The other EU member state supporting the AFM in this joint operation is Germany.