Russia, Italy sign agreement to build new patrol aircraft
FARNBOROUGH. July 11 (Interfax-AVN) - Rosoboronexport and Italy's Finmeccanica Group have signed three agreements at the Farnborough International Airshow 2012, regarding their cooperation on design or upgrade of a patrol aircraft based on a Russian-made aircraft, an Interfax-AVN correspondent said.
The aircraft will be supplied to third countries, according to the agreements signed between the Finmeccanica companies - SELEX Elsag, SELEX Galileo and WASS.
Rosoboronexport and Finmeccanica Group's companies are the key players on the market, Rosoboronexport's Deputy General Director Alexander Mikheyev said. At the same time, a combination of mutually complementary equipment and its quality make these companies a leader on the patrol aircraft market.
"A new modernized patrol aircraft will be offered to third countries. It will be capable of performing a broad spectrum of tasks, including border surveillance and monitoring, including maritime borders, area navigation monitoring, patrolling against smugglers, illicit drug trafficking and illegal migrants, surveillance of exclusive economic zones and oil derricks, search and rescue operations, environmental monitoring and pollution detection," Rosoboronexport said in a statement circulated among reporters.
Also, militarized modifications of the aircraft could be designed for law enforcement, anti-piracy and anti-submarine operations, the company said.