Elbit announces $114 million sale of patrol aircraft in Asia

MILAN — Israel’s Elbit Systems has won a $114 million contract to provide two long-range patrol aircraft to an undisclosed Asian-Pacific customer, who many observers believe could be the Philippine air force, which has long searched for such platforms.

The desire to purchase long-range patrol aircraft (LRPA) is a project that dates back to 2013 for the country’s air service. Put on the back burner for several years due to financial constraints and failed tender processes, Manila re-committed to the program in 2020 under a revised modernization plan for its armed forces.

The requirements were for two maritime LRPA to equip the 300th Air Intelligence and Security Wing. Local media reported at the time that an Israeli solution was likely to be chosen through a government-to-government contract.

Hence, when Elbit announced on July 10 that it will provide two aircraft equipped with an advanced mission suite, there was little doubt as to who the customer could be. But the company declined to comment.

Work under the contract will run through 2029, according to Elbit. The company said that the two planes will be based on the turboprop ATR 72-600, and that each will be integrated with its own Israeli sensors and subsystems.

There are a number of variants of this aircraft in service. It remains unclear whether the types destined for the new client in Asia will include anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——以色列埃尔比特系统公司赢得了一份价值 1.14 亿美元的合同，将向一位未公开的亚太客户供应两架远程巡逻机。许多观察人士认为，这位客户可能是菲律宾空军，该空军长期以来一直在寻找此类平台。

菲律宾空军早在2013年就提出了采购远程巡逻机（LRPA）的计划。由于资金限制和招标失败，该计划搁置了数年。2020年，马尼拉根据一项修订后的武装部队现代化计划，重新启动了该项目。

需求是为第300航空情报与安全联队配备两架海上远程巡逻机。当地媒体当时报道称，很可能会通过政府间合同的方式选择以色列的解决方案。

因此，当埃尔比特公司7月10日宣布将提供两架配备先进任务套件的飞机时，客户是谁几乎毫无悬念。但该公司拒绝置评。

据埃尔比特公司称，合同项下的工作将持续到2029年。该公司表示，这两架飞机将基于ATR 72-600涡轮螺旋桨飞机，并且每架飞机都将集成以色列自主研发的传感器和子系统。

该型飞机有多种衍生型号在役。目前尚不清楚交付给亚洲新客户的机型是否会具备反潜作战能力。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。