An agreement for the provision of a maritime patrol aircraft for the Armed Forces of Malta has been signed between Aerodata and the AFM.

The new aircraft, co-funded by the 2009 External Borders Fund (EBF), would be operated by the AFM and would have a major role in the protection of the EU's southern border.

This is the third contract signing utilising funding from the EU's EBF framework, which is financing 75 percent of the funds. The remaining 25 percent will be allocated by the government. The global sum allocated to this project was €9.696 million, the AFM said.

Through the new asset, Malta would substantially enhance its contribution to the Frontex. In a secondary role, the aircraft would perform search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea.

Aerodata would be providing AFM with a fully equipped new KingAir B200 with a highly integrated Aerodata mission system for the surveillance application. This system handles all sensors and selects data to be provided through a high speed sattelite link to the coordination center on the ground.

As a supplement to the electronic equipment on the aircraft, bubble windows and a drop hatch would be fitted to achieve high performance for the SAR mission.

Siix European companies responded to the call for a competitive EU tender, all submitting their bids within the allocated timeframe. Only two were found to be technically compliant to AFM requirements.

Aerodata, the chosen company, was recently approved as the service center for all KingAir models by Hawker Beechcraft, enabling it to provide warranty and maintenance work on all aircraft and mission systems. It would also provide training for pilots, aircraft mechanics and mission systems operators.

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