On Wednesday 21st April, a Portuguese Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) arrived in Victoria, Seychelles, to augment the other Maritime Patrol aircraft from Sweden and Luxemburg of EU NAVFOR’s anti piracy operation – Atalanta, EU NAVFOR press release said.
During the next four months the Portuguese P3 Papa aircraft will monitor the waters off the coast of Somalia providing the Force Commander with essential information on the movements of ships in the area.
This is the first time a MPRA from Portugal has participated in the EU NAVFOR operation. The aircraft is a P3 Papa, equipped with several advanced surveillance systems which will significantly enhance EU NAVFOR’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability in the Somali Basin. The MPRA is manned by a military crew of 41 support personnel from the Portuguese Air Force.