In June 2008 Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) and the Finnish Border Guard signed a contract for the upgrade of the maritime environment monitoring systems in the two Finnish Border Guard DO-228 aircraft. The contract included new surveillance systems, aircraft installation, spare parts and training of aircraft and ground crew.
The aircraft are used for maritime patrol missions over the Baltic sea such as border patrol, ship traffic monitoring, monitoring of oil spills and support to search and rescue operations.
The two MSS 6000 systems from SSC were taken into operation by the Finnish Border Guard (FBG) after aircraft installation and successful flight tests.
The new systems, following requirements set forth by the FBG in collaboration with the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), will strengthen Finland's capacity for environmental monitoring, border patrol, fishery surveillance and search and rescue in the Baltic Sea.
New features in the MSS 6000 configuration for Finland:
- HELCOM reporting that conforms to the agreement on how oil spills should be re-ported to the commission. HELCOM, works to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution through intergovernmental cooperation
- Satellite image import of Radarsat1, Radarsat2 and Envisat imagery from the EMSA CleanSeaNet service (available to inland as an EU member state)
- SATCOM data and voice link for high-speed communications and distribution reports, images and video sequences from the aircraft to recipients on ground. The SATCOM system provides for SwiftBroadband as well as for Swift64 Inmarsat services.
Representatives from the Finnish Border Guard, the Swedish Space Corporation and the aircraft integrator Bromma Air Maintenance at Bromma airport when the first upgraded Dornier 228 aircraft was delivered in July 2009.
The new MSS 6000 operator's console is ergonomically designed and provides the operator with access to all system functionality from his/her seat.
Tactical training, inspection of ship wake for pollution. Upper left AIS target with track in tactical map, upper right IR/UV imagery of the sea surface, lower left FLIR
Facts
The MSS 6000 for the Finnish Border Guard is a fully integrated system including SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar), IR/UV (Infrared/ Ultraviolet) scanner, still and video cameras, AIS (Automatic Identification System), and a high-speed satellite data link. Existing FLIR and search radar will also be partially integrated. Information from the sensors will be displayed in real time and is tightly integrated with a tactical map. The map image has a large number of operator selectable overlays for background information to support the mission. The map gives an up-to-date situation overview by providing the operator with time stamped information such as a plot of the flight track, continuously updated AIS information, observation and target notes, notes on location of captured images from cameras as well as geocorrected overlays from SLAR and IR/UV. All information from the mission is saved and can be compiled in mission reports and sent via the satellite data link to a command center and/or to cooperating units.
|
