MDA's surveillance service operation begins in Afghanistan

27th January 2009 - 13:00 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

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MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates has announced that MDA has conducted its first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight in Afghanistan on January 1, 2009. Flight operations are now underway from the Kandahar Airfield for the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND).

The service will support Canadian troops by providing critically important intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information directly to commanders and front line soldiers in real time.

In August, DND awarded the contract to MDA for a long endurance UAV surveillance solution to support the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. Only five months later, this service is operational in Kandahar, Afghanistan and fulfills a recommendation made by the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan led by the Honourable John Manley.

David Hargreaves, a vice president within MDA’s Information Systems group, said: "This key milestone demonstrates MDA's ability to rapidly bring very sophisticated, cost effective surveillance services that will improve safety for Canada and NATO and significantly improve operational results."