defenceWeb
Written by defenceWeb -
Agusta-Bell AB212.
The European Union naval tasking off the Horn of Africa, which started life as protection for World Food Programme (WFP) vessels delivering food aid to stricken communities in Somalia and other countries in the region, has developed into a full-fledged maritime mission.
A critical component of the mission, codenamed Operation Atalanta, is aerial assets. These include maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft; maritime helicopters, termed organic because they are ship-based, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The most utilised air asset, according to a EU Naval Force statement, is fixed wing patrol aircraft. They operate autonomously, have both endurance and range and provide high quality images for intelligence analysis.