In 2026 The Pakistan Navy will receive the first Embraer Lineage 1000 aircraft modified by Leonardo and Paramount Aerospace Systems for the maritime patrol role.
In mid-2021, Pakistan contracted Leonardo to convert three Embraer Lineage 1000 aircraft into long-range maritime patrol aircraft for the Pakistan Navy as part of long-term plans to replace its ageing fleet of seven P-3/BC Orion. Paramount was tasked with handling the pre-conversion maintenance, repair and overhaul of the aircraft as part of the Sea Sultan project. The project is based on Embraer’s Lineage 1000E business jet, which is a variant of the Embraer 190 regional airliner. The Lineage 1000E has a range of 8,500 km, a maximum speed of Mach 0.82, a service ceiling of 41,000 ft and a 120,000 lb MTOW.
Details on the mission payload and sensor systems have not been disclosed but it is believed the conversion will add electronic support measures/electronic intelligence (ESM/ELINT) sensors, an electro-optical turret, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, satellite communications, chaff/flare dispenser and torpedo/sonobuoy/depth charge launcher.
Following delivery of the first unmodified aircraft in 2021, the Chief of Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy, Admiral Admiral Naveed Ashraf said, “The aircraft is presently being modified in South Africa and is expected to be delivered in 2026, with subsequent deliveries planned over the coming years as part of a phased approach to modernise our naval aviation. With its state-of-the-art technology, the Sea Sultan will complement our existing platforms, while offering superior performance in terms of range, endurance, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface vessel capabilities.”
The Pakistan Navy has stated an intention to ultimately replace its P-3C Orion fleet with up to ten of the converted commercial jets.
Apart from Paramount, its subsidiary aerospace engineering and manufacturing company Aerosud has been contracted to supply sets of special mission interiors including galleys, observer tables, class dividers, and equipment stowages.
