SEATTLE – Boeing’s [NYSE: BA] Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA) demonstrator recently completed its first flight to verify airworthiness, toward providing maritime surveillance solution designed for search and rescue, anti-piracy patrols and coastal and border security.

Boeing teammate Field Aviation conducted the testing during a four-hour flight on Feb. 28 from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Field Aviation modified the Bombardier Challenger 604 aircraft’s structures and systems into the MSA configuration.

Craig Tylski, Field Aviation pilot said: "We accomplished everything we set out to achieve.

"The aerodynamic performance was right on the money and even with the additional aerodynamic shapes, such as the radome, the demonstrator performed like a normal aircraft. The control and handling were excellent."

Additional airworthiness flights are scheduled for the next two months. Once they are complete, the aircraft will fly to a Boeing facility in Seattle where the MSA mission systems will be installed and tested.

MSA uses technologies developed for Boeing's P-8A Poseidon program to provide multi-mission surveillance capabilities. The baseline configuration features an active electronically scanned array multi-mode radar, an electro/optical/infrared sensor, electronic support measures, a communications intelligence sensor and automated identification system.

Boeing selected the Challenger 605 business jet as the MSA platform and will leverage Field Aviation's engineering and modification experience with the Challenger family of aircraft to modify the jet.