Boeing Challenger 604 MSA makes Farnborough debut

Boeing's Challenger 604 MSA (Photo: Alud Davies)

Boeing’s Bombardier Challenger 604 Maritime Surveillance Aircraft has made its European début at the 2014 Farnborough Airshow.

Boeing’s Challenger 604 MSA (Photo: Alud Davies).

Boeing has given the European debut of its new Bombardier Challenger 604-based Maritime Surveillance Aircraft to the Farnborough Air Show, held this week in the south of the UK.

ALSO READ: Boeing’s Challenger 604 MSA test-bed completes first test flight

Repainted from its days as a corporate transport for Boeing, Challenger 604 msn 5614 / N516BA now wears an overall grey scheme with the logo of each of the suppliers on the upper fuselage.

Although the aircraft used in the certification process is a Challenger 604, Boeing is offering the MSA using the newer Challenger 605 and says that they have negotiated production slots for green Challenger 605’s with the Canadian airframer, although they decline to comment on any customers.

Conversions are undertaken at Field Aviation in Toronto, and will take 12-18 months, depending on the options that the customer specifies.

The systems used on the aircraft are smaller versions of the systems used on the larger Boeing 737 commercial airliner-based P-8A Poseidon, also making its Farnborough debut, with operatives controlling and moving around between different screens by using a standard Xbox One controller.