Indra, the premier IT company in Spain and a leading IT multinational in Europe, is working on the development of a new maritime surveillance light aircraft in collaboration with Italian aircraft manufacturer Tecnam, firms Selex Galileo, FLIR Systems and remote sensing and sensor integration company Airborne Technologies.

The five partners seek to develop an aircraft equipped to provide state-of-the-art surveillance at a more competitive cost in terms of acquisition and operation. The aircraft will be ready to engage in rescue missions, protection of fishing fleets and environment; and surveillance of illegal trafficking of either people or drugs, among others. The aircraft will be ready to enter service by the end of 2012.

This aircraft will patrol those maritime zones usually kept under surveillance by coastguards with medium-size helicopters for a considerably reduced cost and highly more efficient as it will be equipped with a thorough maritime surveillance system (radar, AIS vesseld ID system and a cutting-edge electroptical device).