Capua, Italy – TECNAM announced today the first roll-out of the P2012 Sentinel SMP (Special Mission Platform) with multi-mission capabilities.
TECNAM is passionate about creating the ultimate aircraft for its many customers worldwide and is constantly challenging the status quo regarding technology and design.
Sleek, modern and seductive, the P2012 Traveller has been the reference platform to develop the P2012 Sentinel SMP, the perfect combination of cutting-edge technology and efficiency with its unique Italian-style design. Its elegant colour scheme of air-superiority grey, with black vertical fin and a dedicated logo, immediately recalls the aircraft's vocation: being the earth's Sentinel from the sky.
The P2012 Sentinel SMP is the ultimate TECNAM Special Mission Platform aircraft, without compromises on any front. With it, TECNAM elevated the already world-renown TECNAM P2006T to the next level, thanks to a more capable and advanced surveillance platform for short- and medium-range operations. The continuous investment in R&D, and the passion and attention to detail of the TECNAM engineers, have made it possible to reach such a high level of tech without having to settle on a cost-effective solution. The result is a truly unique combo in the Special Mission Platform market.
The P2012 Sentinel SMP, compared to the P2006T Twin SMP, integrates higher payloads, additional operator and observer stations and new capabilities, including approval for FIKI (Flight Into Known Icing), while simultaneously preserving the recognized TECNAM efficiency in mission accomplishment.
Whether it is used by a government or a private organization, the operator will benefit from increased range, endurance, cabin volume and crew space.
Always striving for perfection, TECNAM initiated a dedicated program with L3 HARRISTM WESCAM MXTM – Series electro-optical and infrared sensors optimized integration. This will greatly improve the law-enforcement mission efficiency when performed with the P2012 Sentinel, taking advantage of its twin-engine safety and its capability of accommodating (in addition to one WESCAM MX-10, MX-15 or MX-20 turret) other mission sensors such as a SAR Radar, providing the P2012 SMP with the mission capabilities normally pertaining to CS/FAR 25 platforms at a fraction of their acquisition and operating costs.
The high cabin volume and payload will allow for excellent mission performance and plenty of space for sensors installation and operators console. A TECNAM Sentinel equipped with full mission equipment, at its maximum takeoff weight of 3680 kg, will provide up to 9 hours' endurance for up to six 90kg-crew members, sensor operators and observers.
The P2012 twin-engine design guarantees an exhaust-free field of view to the sensors, granting increased accuracy and "noise-free" operations. Moreover, the hatches' position under the fuselage ensures a carbon-monoxide-free cabin that will enhance the safety of the crew members (one or two pilots and up to 5 mission operators).
Following the P2012 SMP roll-out, TECNAM foresees an increasing demand in the Special Mission Platform market. The Sentinel's increased capabilities and superior efficiency in its role, coupled with its competitive entry price and operating costs, will allow the operator to perform the mission with results that were previously relegated only to higher-class platforms, and at costs that are just a fraction of those.
The Sentinel, as can be said of all the P2012 range of aircraft, benefits from the TECNAM "DREAM" concept: an aircraft built and designed for Durability, Reliability, Employability, Affordability & Manageability.
TECNAM has even anticipated the growing desire for versatility: the P2012 Sentinel SMP can be equipped, upon customer's request, with a quick-conversion kit that transforms it from Special Mission Platform to Airline version, providing up to 11 seats and the consolidated P2012 Traveller transport capabilities.
Giovanni Pascale Langer, TECNAM Managing Director, said: "TECNAM is very proud to expand the Special Mission Platform offer with a high-performance but still cost-efficient solution to the market. Here at TECNAM, we all recognize the importance of providing a high-capability platform that will allow our customers to perform aerial surveys and mapping as well as protect borders, save lives, and detect criminal operations. Our effort has been focused on the development of a system with higher-class capabilities at a fraction of their acquisition price, making such vital services accessible to those countries and operators that simply couldn't afford them before."
