Special Mission Aircraft Makes Public Debut At The Paris International Airshow

Viking Air Limited of Victoria, British Columbia has revealed its Guardian 400 special mission variant of the Series 400 Twin Otter Monday at the 2019 Paris International Airshow, the first public event for the airplane. This also marks the launch of the global demonstration tour announced by Viking in late May.

Featuring a pixelated camouflage paint scheme, the Guardian 400 demonstrator aircraft flew from Viking’s corporate headquarters in Western-Canada at the beginning of June to Airborne Technologies’ facilities in Wiener Neustadt, Austria for further modifications prior to the Paris Air Show.

Airborne Technologies, Viking’s principal partner for the tour, is missionizing the Guardian 400 demonstrator aircraft. It has designed and manufactured the wing-mounted SCAR pods that house the aircraft’s sensor equipment and its Airborne LINX flexible surveillance architecture solution that integrates all sensors and communications systems on board the aircraft with an intuitive user interface.

The sensor equipment installed on the Guardian 400 demonstrator aircraft has been supplied by key tour sponsors, including Hensoldt, Leonardo, Sentient. Hensoldt has supplied the Argos EO/IR imaging turret with multi-spectral HDTV camera, mega-pixel HD Thermal imager, laser range finder, multi-mode auto tracker, and Remote Image Bus (RIB) video feed for display on the cockpit MFD and/or crew workstation.

An Osprey Radar system, supplied by Leonardo, is a low size weight and power (SWaP) active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar surveillance system that features 120-degree forward swath and true multi-mission capability for high performance maritime and land surveillance. The Osprey system also provides high-resolution ground mapping, small and low speed ground target indication, and air-to-air surveillance, tracking and intercept capability.

Sentient has supplied the Visual Detection and Ranging (ViDAR) Camera system complete with Kestrel moving target indication (MTI). The VidAR is a wide area optical search system consisting of high-resolution sensors coupled with onboard automation software capable of detecting small objects and dramatically extending aircraft coverage during Search & Rescue missions. The Kestrel MTI continuously detects moving objects while increasing the surveillance area by a factor of 20, thereby reducing operator fatigue and increasing reliable detection over long missions.

CarteNav Solutions, also a key contributor to the Guardian 400 demonstrator, is providing its AIMS mission system software that processes and manages imagery and data from the various sensors to enhance situational awareness and improve mission effectiveness with real time, geo-referenced local operating pictures.

The Guardian 400 prototype will also feature an Airborne Technologies’ tactical workstation with high-definition touchscreen monitors, data/voice/video recorder, Mission Management Unit (MMU), mission radio communications, intuitive hand controller for MCU & SLR camera targeting and IKHANA ergonomic operators mission seat for optimized crew comfort. The prototype will also be equipped with Viking conformal bubble windows, left and right NATO standard wing-mounted hard points by IKHANA, Thunder Bay Aviation stretcher racks, and an aft lavatory for crew comfort. “We have been engaged in the special missions arena for many years, and have put together a team of partners, led by Airborne Technologies, with extensive experience integrating flexible architecture solutions that are customized to suit each customer’s specific mission requirements,” said Robert Mauracher, Viking executive vice president, Sales & Marketing.

AeroSimulators Group is providing simulation support for the Guardian 400 aircraft demonstration at the Paris International Airshow as well as providing additional simulation support during the world demonstration tour.

Immediately following the Paris International Airshow, the Guardian 400 demonstrator aircraft will return to Airborne’s facility in Austria and be made available for European prospects to view until mid-September when the aircraft embarks on the next leg of its world tour.

The Guardian 400 world demonstration tour encompasses detailed briefings and demonstration flights scheduled for Austria, Italy, Algeria, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Kenya, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Russia, United States, and Canada. A tour extension to Central and South America is also under consideration to commence in the fall of 2020.

The Guardian 400 demonstrator aircraft will also be available for viewing in conjunction with the 2019 Dubai Airshow, 2020 Singapore Airshow, and the 2020 CANSEC Defence & Security Show in Ottawa, Canada.

(Source: Viking Aircraft news release. Image from file)

FMI: www.vikingair.com