The first new maritime surveillance aircraft of the French Navy was spotted during its takeoff from the Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport with its modifications.
Spotter Raphaël Savry took the pictures of the new generation maritime surveillance aircraft, which took its maiden flight a week earlier.
Depending on the government, up to 12 units are planned with an initial order of seven units, Naval News reported. Three aircraft will be assembled in France, while the remaining four will be assembled in India. However, the fitting of mission systems will still be performed in France for the aircraft to be assembled in India.
Falcon 2000LXS offers increased range and endurance compared to the baseline Falcon 2000, quite in line with the aircraft’s new role as a maritime surveillance aircraft. The endurance is stated to be seven hours in maritime surveillance configuration.
The systems to be used include Thales Search master radar, Euroflir 410 EO/IR gimbal, mission system from Naval Group, Link 22, and SATCOM.
