Missionised Aircraft and Maintenance, Logistics and Training Support since 2007
On 1 August 2017, Orbital ATK, a global leader in aerospace and defence technologies, marked a significant milestone with the Iraqi Air Force celebrating ten years of continuous service, having begun its relationship in 2007 and soon after delivered its first missionised Cessna, a Textron company, 208 aircraft.
“Orbital ATK is honored to have had the opportunity to partner and collaborate with the Iraq Air Force for the last ten years,” Cary Ralston, Vice President and General Manager of Orbital ATK’s Defense Electronic Systems Division of the Defense Systems Group, said. “The success of our relationship is a result of the dedicated professionals both within Orbital ATK and the Iraqi Air Force. The camaraderie and mutual respect have been vital and we look forward to continuing our partnership.”
Over the years, Orbital ATK has converted the Cessna Grand CARAVAN aircraft, a popular single engine turboprop, into three variants for the Iraqis. They have received three armed aircraft (AC-208B), three intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft (RC-208B) and five trainer aircraft (TC-208B). Additionally, Orbital ATK has continuously provided in-country maintenance, logistics support and student training on the maintenance of these missionised Caravans.
The AC-208 ELIMINATOR is the newest addition to Orbital ATK’s Special Mission Aircraft product portfolio, which provides affordable, innovative, battle-proven, responsive and advanced capabilities to customer-preferred platforms. The company’s expertise includes outfitting various aircraft – including the Cessna 208BCARAVAN, Leonardo C-27J SPARTAN, Airbus CN-235/295, Lockheed Martin C-130 HERCULES, Bombardier DASH-8, Hawker Beechcraft KING AIR, Sikorsky H-60 BLACKHAWK, Leonardo AW139 and others – with integrated ISR and attack capabilities, as well as providing Contractor Logistics Support services. Orbital ATK’s extensive expertise in weaponisation, mission systems architecture, as well as aircraft integration and certification of complex subsystems, enables rapid fielding of these capabilities.
