DEFENCE On a mission with the ATR 72MP Strait of Sicily. The temperature at sea level is high. The ATR 72MP, produced by Leonardo, designated P-72A by the Italian Air Force, belongs to the 41° Stormo – Wing, has taken off a couple of hours earlier from the Sigonella Air Base. On board, one of the four Mission System Operators (MSO) carefully watches over the sea surface with the Seaspray 7300E active electronically scanned radar also produced by Leonardo. A suspicious track needs further investigation: with the ISAR (Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar) mode the operator gets a clear profile of what turns out to be a large vessel. The onboard Tactical Coordinator (TACCO) carefully coordinates the operational activity and immediately orders another operator to follow the unit even more closely through the stabilised turret’s electro-optical sensors: now the ship’s identification number can be clearly read and the investigation can go ahead. If necessary, in case of emergency, the onboard technician (OBT), is ready to drop self-inflating life rafts from the rear door, which can be opened in flight.
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On board the P-72A The mission system operator, thanks to the high multirole capacity provided by the Multifunction Operator Console (MOC) can operate with three main sensors, radar, electrooptical as well as with the ESM (for detecting, analysing and identifying 360° any electro-magnetic emitter). These can be configured for any tactical/operational mission as well as to exchange high-speed data and information with the command and
control centres via advanced Tactical Data Link and satellite communication systems. Therefore, the system stands out for its netcentric and C4ISR (Command, Control, Comunication, Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) capabilities made possible also by the communication systems that make it suitable for NATO operations. The MOCs are integrated within Leonardo’s ATOS (Airborne Tactical Observation System) mission system, the aircraft’s real operational heart. The P-72A has an enormous capability to acquire information and to provide it to the crew with a human-machine interface that provides the option of having all the elements required to maintain a mission situational awareness concentrated on just one display. The performance of the mission system and of the sensors considerably reduce the time needed to achieve the objectives to be pursued. This allows to adjust, wherever possible, the time spent in the operations area, thus optimising the aircraft’s range. The P-72A is like a smartphone, partly a telephone, partly a navigator, partly a computer...everything is perfectly integrated and networked. Line of Defence
