NEWTOWN, Conn. - Thales Group has offered its TopDeck avionics suite and Ocean Master OM100E radar to the Chilean Navy.
The TopDeck system has been presented as an option for the Navy's P-3ACH Orion maritime patrol aircraft while the OM100E radar is intended for the Navy's AS532SC Cougar (SH-32 in Chilean service) attack helicopters.
As announced in March 2015, the Navy's two remaining P-3 Orions will be modernized by Lockheed Martin to extend the life of the aircraft by about 15,000 flight hours, or 20 years. The Navy originally took delivery of eight P-3 Orions from the United States in the 1990s. However, only two remain in operation; the rest have either been placed in storage or cannibalized for spare parts.
Regarding the AS 532 Cougars, the service had previously said the Cougars are too maintenance-intensive and planned to replace the platform. However, the Navy recently acquired an identification friend or foe system, KIT-1C Mode IV IFF, to be placed on board the helicopters and has decided to modernize them instead.
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