March 2, 2012: Britain has given the Kenyan Air Force an MX-15 stabilized reconnaissance turret and assisted in mounting the equipment in a Kenyan Y-12 aircraft. The 45 kg (100 pound) MX-15 can spot and identify ships and boats 20 kilometers away. The MX-15 can operate at night and its zoom feature enables the operator to see if men in a boat are armed with weapons (like AK-47s and RPGs). The Kenyans will use their MX-15 equipped Y-12 to more effectively patrol their coast, especially near the Somali border.

The 5.3 ton Chinese Y-12 is a twin turbo-prop aircraft that has a crew of two and carries up to 17 passengers or 1.5 tons of cargo. Cruising speed is 250 kilometers an hour and normal endurance is about five hours.