Japan Coast Guard orders fifth Dassault Aviation Falcon 2000 maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA)

The Japan Coast Guard has acquired its fifth Falcon 2000 maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA), aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation has announced.

The Coast Guard had previously ordered four MSA aircraft, which are based on the 4,000 nm Falcon 2000LXS. The first aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in 2019.

The Falcon 2000 MSA is designed for a broad range of missions, including maritime surveillance, piracy control, drug interdiction, fishery patrol, law enforcement, search and rescue, intelligence and reconnaissance. It offers the best combination of size, payload, speed, range and acquisition and operating costs on the market.

“Our success in the multi-mission sector is a perfect example of the benefits we derive from our dual military/civil design and production heritage, in particular our multirole Rafale fighter,” said Eric Trappier, chairman/CEO of Dassault Aviation. “This makes it possible to integrate advanced mission equipment into agile, lightweight platforms that afford a truly optimized multi-mission capability.”

The Japanese acquisition follows a decision by French procurement agency DGA to purchase three long range Falcon electronic intelligence aircraft for France’s new Universal Electronic Warfare Capability program. The French ELINT aircraft, which will replace two Transall C160 Gabriel aircraft, will be delivered starting in 2025. They will carry a new Thales sensor derived from experience with the integrated electronic warfare suite flown on the Rafale fighter which will be capable of intercepting a wide range of radio and radar signals simultaneously.

Dassault is also engaged in a signal intelligence program with the Republic of South Korea based on a pair of Falcon 2000 twinjets. These aircraft are set to enter operational service soon.