Malaysia orders two ATR 72 MPA from Leonardo

The Ministry of Defence of Malaysia has signed a contract with Leonardo to supply two ATR 72 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) platforms.

A signing ceremony took place at LIMA 2023, a maritime and defence exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region held in Langkawi, Malaysia.

This contract follows the selection of the solution offered by Leonardo announced last October, and includes the supply of two ATR special mission aircraft in maritime patrol configuration plus the related integrated logistic support and training services.

The ATR 72 MPA is a twin-turboprop aircraft designed for complex maritime patrol missions. It is the latest specialized variant of the ATR regional transport aircraft, part of a wide range of types developed by Leonardo for missions including maritime surveillance, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Anti-Surface unit Warfare (AsuW), Search & Rescue (SAR), environmental monitoring, medical evacuation and transport of personnel and materials.

The aircraft chosen by Malaysia incorporates features of the baseline ATR 72-600.

They will also be equipped with a flexible mission system, advanced sensors and a complete communications suite for command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) missions over land and sea.

The ATR 72 MPA is optimised for maritime patrol, electronic intelligence (ELINT) gathering, sea surface and submerged target detection and tracking, SAR, countering illegal activities (drug trafficking, piracy and smuggling) and protecting territorial waters. There is growth potential for it to evolve into a fully-fledged Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti-Surface unit Warfare (AsuW) platform.

Variants of the ATR 72 MPA, in service with military and law enforcement organisations, are equipped with the modular Leonardo ATOS (Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance) mission system, which will also be included in the Malaysian configuration.

“We are proud that the Malaysian Government has chosen our ATR 72 MPA, an aircraft which represents Leonardo’s advanced technological capabilities in the design and integration of platforms and systems at the highest levels,” Dario Marfè, SVP Aircraft Commercial & Customer Services at Leonardo, said.