The Dassault-Breguet Atlantique is the long-range reconnaissance aircraft of the French Navy. This long-range naval patrol aircraft is a European collaboration, built under the supervision of Dassault Aviation. The Atlantique is the standard sea reconnaissance aircraft and sub hunter in many NATO countries. It is fitted with antiship-missiles, ASW-weapons, sonar buoys and a magnetic anomaly detector [MAD].
Atlantic 1
The Atlantic is an aircraft with a take-off weight of 43.5 metric tons, powered by two Tyne turboprop 5,500 hp engines. Its 12-man crew conducts missions that can last up to 18 hours over flight distances of approximately 8,000 km, covered at a maximum speed of 650 km/h.
On 14th December 1956, the members of the NATO Council stipulated that, as a successor to the American aircraft Lockheed P 2V-7 Neptune, they needed a long-range maritime reconnaissance and antisubmarine warplane. On 30th January 1959, the NATO Armaments Committee unanimously selected, out of the 21 projects presented, the Breguet Br 1150 Atlantic program. This aircraft is remarkable for being the only maritime patrol aeroplane in the world specially designed for its mission and not just a derivative of a commercial civil aircraft.
Manufacturing work was divided between the four participating countries:
Breguet and Sud-Aviation in France;
Fokker in the Netherlands;
Dornier and Siebel in West Germany;
SABCA, Fairey et Fabrique Nationale (FN) Herstal in Belgium.
The Tyne turboprop engines were supplied by the partner companies Rolls-Royce, Snecma Hispano, FN and MTU, while electronics came from the United States. The assembly line and flight preparation of aircraft were located in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne, France) at Breguet.
The official purchase order for the first lot was communicated on 06 June 1963: 20 aircraft for France, ultimately increased to 40 aircraft, and 20 for West Germany. The final aeroplane out of the 60 was delivered at the end of 1968 at the moment that the Netherlands decided to procure nine. The French Navy immediately sold them four, while the five others would come from a second production series launched in January 1972. On 25 October 1968, Italy decided in turn to purchase the aircraft and became an associate in the European consortium through Aeritalia and Alfa-Romeo. Production was relaunched for 18 aircraft, plus 4 intended to replace those sold by France to the Netherlands. In 1976, the French Navy sold three of its aircraft to Pakistan.
Atlantic 2
The Atlantic 2 long range maritime patrol aircraft, specifically designed for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASUW), is derived from the NATO Atlantic Mk 1 (ATL 1). This new variant of the Atlantique family aimed at all international, and especially European, programs for the acquisition or replacement of naval patrol airfleets. It features advanced sensors (Radar, ESM, Acoustic, FLIR and MAD), supported by a distributed data processing system architecture (redundant mutiplex data bus, digital computer, multipurpose displays). A total of 28 ATL 2s have been ordered for the French Navy; 23 of these were in service as of 1999.
Atlantic 3
Updated manufacture of new aircraft integrates the latest technology both in platform design and in weapons systems: the ATLANTIC 3.
Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA 2000)
The Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft BR 1150 Atlantic is in service with the German and Italian armed forces since several years. According to plans of the German and Italian ministries of defense, this type of aircraft is to be replaced by a modern aircraft by the year 2007. Dasa's Military Aircraft Business Unit, which has been proposed as the German systems leader, is on talks with Alenia Aerospazio, the proposed Italian systems leader. The MoU is to harmonize concepts of both companies for a possible mission equipment. Additionally both companies will share their experiences in definition, integration, and maintenance of the MPA 2000 aircraft.
Besides a re-design of the aircraft, a major role plays the the realization of a modern mission equipment. Core element is to be the so-called Tactical Command System (TCS). TCS bases on most modern computer technology. It eases the work of the on-board specialists by automatization of the sensor control and surveillance and increases the mission efficiency of the whole reconnaissance system and its flexibility in the face of changing situation by a modern, ergonomic man-machine-interface. TCS is supported by a stationary ground system, the Maritime Air Operations Center, as well as its transportable version, the Transportable Air Operations Center. Both systems are part of the planning, surveying and evaluating process of a mission as well as the interpretation of retrieved information in order to form a situation synopsis.
ATL3
The latest version of the MR/ASW platform is Atlantique ALT3, which the Indian Navy will do well to evaluate. The Navy may need 30 MR/ASW platforms even in thr near short-term, so if found suitable to meet the mission profiles of the Navy, arrangements could be made for Transfer of Technology of the sensitive sensors and ASW gear to be incorporated into suitable indigenous developed airframes, perhaps in the Indo-Russian Illyushin-214. A MR equivalent of Illyushin-214 if developed will have the added advantage of much higher transit speed to the patrol area from shore bases.
The multi-national Atlantique ATL3 Maritime Reconnaissance/Anti-Submarine Warfare (MR/ASW) aircraft, successor to the Atlantique ATL1 and ATL2, incorporates an enhanced weapon system with a maximum 9,000kg payload, new technology engines, advanced 'glass cockpit' and sophisticated avionics and sensors. The ATL3 airframe is to be produced by the Societé Européenne de Construction de l'Avion Breguet Atlantique (SECBAT) consortium, consisting of Dassault Aviation of France, Alenia of Italy, SABCA-SONACA of Belgium and EADS (European Aeronautics Defence and Space) company, formed by Daimler-Chrysler Aerospace of Germany, Aerospatiale Matra of France and CASA of Spain.
The primary mission of the Atlantique ALT3 is Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti-Surface Vessel (ASV) strike. The Atlantique ALT3 is powered by Rolls Royce Allison AE2100H engines, equipped with six-blade composite propellers from Messier Dowty and produces ten percent more power than the current generation ATL2 engines, but use fifteen percent less fuel thus increasing already impressive endurance of the present generation ALT2. This attribute of the engines may be optimally utilised by swiftly moving to the patrol area from shore bases. In typical operational role the "Atlantique sortie" lasts about 12 hours including 8 hours on ASW patrol at 170-knots maintaining a standard altitude of 2,000-ft descending to as much as 300-ft or less if operational requirement demands.
Secondary roles of ALT3 include Search And Rescue (SAR), mine laying and detection and long-range maritime surveillance. The flight deck in accordance to modern trends is designed around a two-pilot operation. Six Liquid-Crystal Displays (LCD) provide both pilots independently with the flight and systems management data, together with pictures from the Electro-Optical (EO) sensor and data from the weather radar.
The aircraft normally carries a tactical crew of eight. They include the Tactical Coordinator (TACCO), the Deputy TACCO, two radar and Electronic Support Measures (ESM) officers and two acoustic sensor officers. The tactical crew has identical workstations each with two full-colour, multi-purpose displays. The Deputy TACCO manages the communications, navigation and EO systems. The TACCO receives the inputs from all sensor operations and, using the tactical aids suite, evaluates the situation and determines the actions to be taken.
Builder Dassault-Breguet
Role naval patrol
Similar Aircraft
Major operational capabilities :
Working out of the surface and underwater tactical situation
Support to the strategic ocean force
Support to a maritime force in operation
Security of the operation zones
Wing Span 119' / 36,3 m
Length 104'
Height 37'
Weight : empty / maximum at takeoff :
25 t / 46.5 t
Fuel capacity :
16 t
Engine 2 TYNE MK 21 Turboprop engines
5,500 hp each / ( 6106 hp each) 12212 hp
Maximum speed 355 kts (650 km/h)
Cruising speed 315 Kn (580 km/h)
Range 8 hours on station at 600 NM with standard armament
18 hours - maximum flight time
4200-4859 NM - maximum range
Service Ceiling 33,000 ft [39,300 ft ?]
Crew :
2 pilots, 1 aircraft commander, 2 observers, 1 navigator, 1 radio operator, 1 electronic warfare operator, 1 computer scientist, 1 tactical co-ordinator, 3 anti-submarine detection operators
Special equipments :
Digital bus ‘digibus’, Iguane radar, Crouzet DHAX3 magnetic anomaly detector, forward-looking infrared system, Tango thermal camera, acoustic detection and analysis system, Arar 13radar detector and analyser, photographic equipment, GPS receiver, 2 inertial navigation systems
Armament 72 acoustic buoys and
9 U-Jagd-Torp. or
8 MU 90 or Mk 46 torpedoes or
4 Lenkwaffen AS12 or
2 Aerospatiale air-to-surface AM39 Exocet missiles
NATO interoperability :
Protected radiocommunication, identification friend or foe, ‘link 11’ data transmission
Crew 12
Cost
User Countries
French Navy inventory :
28 aircraft in 2 squadrons