PAL Aerospace P-4

Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) Proposal [ 2025 ]

The P-4 is being prepared by PAL Aerospace and Thales as a possible solution against the Royal Malaysian Air Force Maritime Patrol Aircraft requirement.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/01/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

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The P-4 is a Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) project being undertaken by PAL Aerospace and Thales centered on the de Havilland Canada "Dash 8" twin-turboprop regional airliner (detailed elsewhere on this site). PAL's expertise lies in special-mission aircraft and systems while Thales has decades of experience in systems and subsystems covering products across military, civilian, and industry sectors. Within the PAL Airlines fleet reside no fewer than eighteen Dash 8 aircraft (as of April 2022).

In the P-4, the airframe retains the same form and function of the Dash 8, complete with leading edge turboprop engines driving multi-bladed propellers. The high-wing mounting provides excellent low-and-slow operations while the sloped nosecone gives pilots equally excellent vision out-of-the-cockpit. The tail unit retains the familiar T-style single-rudder / high-mounted plane arrangement. A retractable, wheeled tricycle is used for ground-running.

Key physical changes include a chin-mounted "blister" turret housing an Electro-Optical (EO) camera. Internally, a maritime radar is standard with multiple crew stations to digest the incoming data while, externally, a Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) boom is noted. At the dorsal and ventral centerlines of the fuselage are an array of protruding antenna. At midships under the belly of the aircraft is a pronounced mound housing additional equipment.

An example of the aircraft was presented at Defense Services Asia 2022, presumably to garner Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) interest in such a product - the service looking to upgrade its MPA capabilities.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

2025

Origin

Canada

Status

IN-DEVELOPMENT
Program in Progress.

Crew

15

Production

1
UNITS

PAL Aerospace - Canada; Thales Group - France

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Malaysia (possible)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Special-Mission: Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
Equipped to search, track, and engage enemy underwater elements by way of specialized onboard equipment and weapons.

✓ Special-Mission: Anti-Ship
Equipped to search, track, and engage enemy surface elements through visual acquisition, radar support, and onboard weaponry.

✓ Special-Mission: Search & Rescue (SAR)
Ability to locate and extract personnel from areas of potential harm or peril (i.e. downed airmen in the sea).

RADAR-CAPABLE

Houses, or can house (through specialized variants), radar equipment for searching, tracking, and engagement of enemy elements.

COUNTERMEASURES

Survivability enhanced by way of onboard electronic or physical countermeasures enacted by the aircraft or pilot/crew.

MULTI-ENGINE

Incorporates two or more engines, enhancing survivability and / or performance.

HIGH-ALTITUDE PERFORMANCE

Can reach and operate at higher altitudes than average aircraft of its time.

EXTENDED RANGE PERFORMANCE

Capability to travel considerable distances through onboard fuel stores.

MARITIME OPERATION

Ability to operate over ocean in addition to surviving the special rigors of the maritime environment.

CREWSPACE PRESSURIZATION

Supports pressurization required at higher operating altitudes for crew survival.

CREW-MANAGED

Beyond a pilot, the aircraft takes advantage of additional crew specialized in specific functions aboard the aircraft.

ENCLOSED CREWSPACE(S)

Features partially- or wholly-enclosed crew workspaces.

RETRACTABLE UNDERCARRIAGE

Features retracting / retractable undercarriage to preserve aerodynamic efficiency.

CAMERA EQUIPMENT

Payload supports photographic equipment providing still and / or real-time image / video results.

Length

107.6 ft
(32.80 m)

Width/Span

93.2 ft
(28.40 m)

Height

27.6 ft
(8.40 m)

Empty Wgt

39,286 lb
(17,820 kg)

MTOW

60,627 lb
(27,500 kg)

Wgt Diff

+21,341 lb
(+9,680 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the PAL P-4 MPA production variant)

monoplane / high-mounted / straight

Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represent the most popular mainplane arrangement.

High-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted at the upper-most position allowable along the dorsal line of the fuselage.

Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.

(Structural descriptors pertain to the PAL P-4 MPA production variant)

Installed: (Q400): 2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PW150 turboprop engines developing 5,071 horsepower each driving six-bladed propeller units.

Max Speed

416 mph
(670 kph | 362 kts)

Cruise Speed

342 mph
(550 kph | 297 kts)

Max. Speed Diff

+75 mph
(+120 kph | 65 kts)

Ceiling

27,001 ft
(8,230 m | 5 mi)

Range

1,274 mi
(2,050 km | 3,797 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the PAL P-4 MPA production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None. Mission-specific equipment carried to fulfill Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) role.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

P-4 - Base Series Designation; debuted 2022.

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Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery

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Image release by PAL Aerospace.