Canada To Upgrade Aurora Maritime Patrol Aircraft With Airborne Satcom System

The Canadian Department of National Defence (CDND) is upgrading Lockheed CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft with ViaSat VR-12 airborne satellite communication systems, the Shephard News reported Monday.

The upgradation of aircraft is in cooperation with L-3 Electronic System Services, an L-3 Aviation Products division.The three parties will also work with aircraft integrator IMP Aerospace on this quick reaction capability programme.

ViaSat's in-flight communication systems will enable secure and high-speed data streaming via satellite on the company's global network. The new systems will improve the CDND's ability to conduct ISR missions across the world. Over 600 VR-12 systems have been installed so far and are in operation on government and commercial aircraft.

John Hoffman, senior director of ISR broadband ViaSat said, “We're able to meet this kind of urgent timeline because of the global reach of our ViaSat network and the maturity and reliability of our VR-12 mobile satellite system.”

According to ViaSat, the first upgraded system was delivered for first flight in less than 90 days from the start of the project, with the rest of the fleet to be integrated with the communication systems and tested shortly.