L-3 announced this week that its Mission Integration division had conducted maiden flights of the first Beechcraft King Air 350ER converted to a special mission platform under the U.S. Army’s EMARSS program (Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance and Surveillance System).
The King Air, (dubbed EMARSS-M1), completed the preliminary airworthiness test and is cleared for continual contractor, government and operational tests over the next several months. L-3 will be completing the modification of three additional aircraft in two other variants in 2016. With this first flight milestone now achieved, L-3 will complete the modification of three additional aircraft in two other variants in 2016. All four platforms will then take part in a combined operational test and evaluation program.
Last year, L-3 was awarded a contract to modify multiple Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) special mission aircraft by the U.S. Army last year.
The EMARSS system is a King Air 350ER aircraft equipped with state-of-the-art equipment including: electro-optic/infra-red (EO/IR) sensor, communications intelligence collection system, an aerial precision geolocation system, line-of-sight tactical and beyond line-of-site communications suites, two Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A) workstations, and a self protection suite.
These technologies allow for a wide range of essential services. It is classified as an airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (AISR) system that provides the ability to detect, locate, classify/identify, and track surface targets in day/night and near-all-weather conditions with timeliness and accuracy.