Leonardo, Bombardier to Explore Maritime Multi-Mission Aircraft Opportunities

Leonardo and Bombardier Defense have signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue strategic opportunities in the maritime multi-mission aircraft sector.

This non-exclusive partnership will research potential integrations of Leonardo’s selected airborne solutions into Bombardier’s Global 6500 twin-engine aircraft.

The resulting modifications will be utilized to address “growing demand” in the sector, with a focus on meeting complex requirements.

Throughout the partnership, Leonardo will provide access to its Airborne Tactical Observation System (ATOS) avionics technology designed for wide-range intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance tasks.

ATOS can be fitted into fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles, to collect and streamline real-time data from various sensors, electro-optical cameras, acoustic capabilities, and other mission tools.

It is installed in 10 different aircraft across Europe, Africa, and Australia.

Meanwhile, Bombardier’s Global 6500 is a flexible platform that can be modified into a medium- to high-altitude signals, early warning, and command and control base.

The 100-foot (30-meter) aircraft is currently in use by the US Army as part of its HADES and ATHENA-S spy plane programs, and has been supplied to over 500 specialized aircraft projects covering defense, security, and humanitarian operations.

“Bombardier’s proven and versatile Global 6500 aircraft combined with Leonardo’s world-class mission systems are perfectly aligned to meet operational demands of discerning users,” Leonardo said in its press release.