Brazil is close to making a final selection of a systems integrator to upgrade its planned fleet of eight Lockheed Martin P-3BR Orion maritime patrol aircraft. The deal will give the winner an important edge in competing for potential P-3 upgrade programmes in Argentina, Chile and Mexico.
Three contenders are submitting best and final offers, and a final decision is expected by June. The programme consists of a service life extension of eight surplus US Navy airframes and the installation of modern cockpit avionics and an integrated sensor suite.
Brazil wants to equip the P-3s with a new search radar and is understood to have already specified the Elta EL/M-2022. New generic capabilities include an electro-optical/infrared sensor, electronic support measures (ESM), acoustic processing, and a new magnetic anomaly detector.
Galileo Avionica and sister company Alenia are competing with Air New Zealand and local company Mectron. The proposed commercial-off-the-shelf system is a version of that installed on Italian customs service ATR 42MPs.
Lockheed Martin's bid is led by its Tactical Systems division and is based on a further evolution of the US Navy's anti-submarine warfare improvement programme and the recent upgrade of Norway's four P-3C Update III aircraft. It will be open architecture with modular processors with software support from local company ATEC.
EADS Casa is offering its Fully Integrated Tactical Systems (FITS) package derived from the system for the Spanish navy's P-3 upgrade. FITS is being demonstrated on a EADS Casa C295 Persuader and incorporates an Indra mission computer/tactical system.
All three companies have their eye on requirements expected in the rest of Latin America. Chile operates four P-3As, which other than a standalone ESM system, have not been updated, while Argentina has six ageing Orions. Mexico is also looking at acquiring a number of ex-USN P-3s.
Source: Flight International
