In mid-April, Dassault Aviation delivered a third ATL2 maritime patrol aircraft (PATMAR) modernized to Standard 6 to the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA).

This delivery was carried out as planned, despite the constraints related to the Covid-19 crisis, thanks to the professionalism and commitment of Dassault Aviation teams and its industrial and government partners.

The contract for the upgraded (standard 6) ATL2 combat system was awarded by the DGA on October 4, 2013. The program covers a fleet of 18 aircraft. Dassault Aviation is due to deliver seven renovated ATL2s over 2019-2023. In parallel, the SIAé aeronautical maintenance center will upgrade 11 aircraft.

Standard 6 includes:                                               

• New radar: Thales Search Master with active antenna
• New Thales acoustic subsystem to gather and process signals from the latest-generation air-dropped sonobuoys for submarine detection
• New WESCAM optronic ball (already integrated, in Emergency Operation, on some ATL2 with the previous standard, in 2013)
• New navigation console designed by Dassault Aviation
• New consoles for the tactical display subsystem, developed by SIAé

The upgrade work is performed by Dassault Aviation and Thales (co-contractors), in association with Naval Group and in cooperation with SIAé. Architect of the combat system, Dassault Aviation is as well responsible for development of the core system including the operational software designed by Naval Group. Dassault Aviation is also in charge of overall integration of all subsystems.

The standard 6 upgrade will improve the ATL2s’ capability to support the Strategic Ocean Force and the Naval Air Group of the aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle, to deal with modern threats (future nuclear or conventional submarines, naval forces, etc.) and to support air-land missions, until 2030.

France is one of the very few countries designing and producing high-technology maritime patrol aircraft combining detection (optronics, radar, acoustics) with a variety of weapons (anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, laser-guided weapons).