The Ministry of Defense of Malaysia has signed a contract with Leonardo for the supply of two ATR 72 MPA (Maritime Patrol Aircraft) aircraft. The signing ceremony took place during LIMA 2023, a maritime and defense exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region, held in Langkawi, Malaysia.
Leonardo’s ATR 72 MPA is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft specifically designed for maritime patrol missions. It is the latest specialized variant of the ATR regional transport aircraft, which is part of a wide range of types developed by Leonardo and based on the iconic model. Among others, the ATR 72 has variations for maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, surface attack, search and rescue, environmental monitoring, medical evacuation, and transportation.
Dario Marfè, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Customer Services for Leonardo aircraft, expressed his pride in the Malaysian Government’s choice of the ATR 72 MPA. «This aircraft demonstrates Leonardo’s advanced capabilities in platform and system design and integration. The ATR 72 MPA combines reliability, low operating costs, all the advantages of the ATR 72-600 regional transport aircraft, and features a state-of-the-art mission system,» said the executive.
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These aircraft will be equipped with a flexible mission system, advanced sensors, and a complete communications suite for Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C3ISR) missions on land and at sea. The mission sensors and systems can operate autonomously or in a network. This enables the collection, processing, and dissemination of strategic data among operators. The ATR 72 MPA is optimized for maritime patrol, electronic intelligence gathering (ELINT), target detection and tracking, and search and rescue, among other tasks.
All variants of the ATR 72 MPA are equipped with the ATOS modular system (Air Tactical Observation and Surveillance). The Malaysian aircraft will also feature this system. ATOS manages the onboard sensors of the aircraft, merging the collected information and continuously presenting a comprehensive and up-to-date tactical picture to the operators.
