IAI unit to sell maritime patrol radar for Canada’s search & rescue efforts

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the nation’s largest aerospace and defense firm, has won a contract from Airbus Defence & Space SAS to supply it with  maritime patrol radars. The amount of the contract was not released.

Canada’s government is acquiring 16 airplanes from Airbus Defence that will be equipped with advanced sensor systems to support Canada’s search and rescue  operations. The key surveillance sensor that will be installed onto the aircraft will be the ELM-2022 radar system developed by IAI’s subsidiary, ELTA Systems Ltd., IAI said.

The radar, operated from an antenna located under the fuselage, helps detect, localize, classify and track targets such as maritime vessels, on the sea and land in all weather conditions, including low visibility, day and night.

It can be used for maritime surveillance and patrols as well as other surveillance operations. The radars can be installed in a range of fixed-wing and rotary-wing, manned and unmanned aircraft.

To date, more than 250 ELM-2022 Maritime Patrol Radars have been sold to customers worldwide in more than 25 countries, IAI said in a statement. This is the eighth project IAI has undertaken with Airbus Defence on maritime patrol radars, the statement said.

Airbus Defence and Space SAS is a division of Airbus responsible for defense and aerospace products and services.