Having announced a deal with Saab for the delivery of two new surveillance aircraft on day two of DAS15, the UAE Air Force (UAEAF) announced on Tuesday that it has selected AgustaWestland's AW609 tiltrotor for a SAR requirement. Under the U$1.27 billion contract, news of which emerged on Monday, two Bombardier Global 6000 executive jets will receive Saab's new Swing Role Surveillance System (SRSS) providing the UAE with a highly advanced version of the ERIEYE system that is capable of dealing with air, sea and land threats. Combining AEW&C with MULTI-INT capability, the new aircraft will not only feature the dorsal plank antenna configuration that is found on current Erieye configured aircraft but also a wide range of other sensors including an EO/IR sensor and ESM equipment. Under the contract the UAEAF's two ERIEYE configured Saab 340 twin turboprop aircraft will also be upgraded, it was announced. Details surrounding the deal remain scarce for the time being as Saab declined to answer most questions that were asked by the assembled press during Monday's press event.
On day three of DAS15, major general Abdullah Al Hashimi, the UAE MoD's executive director for strategic analysis, announced yet another deal. This one concerns the selection of AgustaWestland's AW609 tiltrotor for the UAE's Joint Aviation Command which hereby becomes the launching customer for the SAR variant of this aircraft. Although it was mentioned that negotiations are still ongoing, it was made clear that the agreement involves three aircraft. To be used for long range SAR, the AW609s that will be operated by JAC will be able to carry two or four stretchers and will complement the command's AW139 helicopters that are also tasked with SAR amongst other missions. However, it was ruled out by Al Hashimi that the new aircraft would be used for CSAR missions. A press release issued by AgustaWestland indicates that the agreement with the UAE also includes three options in addition to the three AW609 aircraft that have now been selected for the SAR requirement. Deliveries are expected to commence in the 2019 timeframe, it was mentioned.
Pieter Bastiaans
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