Greenville,Texas-based L-3 Mission Integration announced that it has chosen the Bombardier Q400 regional airliner as the platform for a new maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) offering. The company is partnering with Bombardier, Marshall Aerospace and Cascade Aerospace for the venture.

“We have customized the Q400 aircraft for longer mission endurance and lower operating costs than other maritime and ISR aircraft in use today,” said Mark Von Schwarz, president of L-3 Mission Integration. “The Q400 aircraft design, combined with our proven, high-performance mission system, will meet the most demanding maritime and ISR requirements.”

Cascade is a Canadian MRO that has already done freighter conversions of the Q400. Marshall Aerospace is a British MRO best known for C-130 work. Its presence on the team suggests that L-3 is eyeing a possible British requirement for a maritime patrol aircraft, following the scrapping of the undelivered Nimrod MRA.4 fleet in 2010.