EUROPE
LAND
16 May 2006. BAE Systems has been awarded a contract by the UK Ministry of Defence to enhance the current capability of Phase 1 of the Joint Command System (JCS) (Logistic), following its successful delivery in March 2005. The contract is valued at approximately £10m with final delivery due in May 2009. Major enhancements include presentation of the user interface, data relationships within the database, a powerful new search capability and the ability to generate user specified queries giving additional functionality on the database. Information exchange will be improved to ensure a coherent approach is taken to data capture, data processing and replication throughout the system. The contract will deliver support to a significantly increased user population including the Permanent Joint Headquarters, Joint Force Headquarters, Joint Force Logistic Component, the single service HQ’s and deployable components (Land, Fleet and Air) and other supporting logistics organisations.
SEA
17 May 06. Thales UK has been awarded a £48m contract to supply the Fully Integrated Communications Systems (FICS) for the second batch of the Royal Navy’s Type 45 Anti-Air Warfare destroyer (ships 4, 5 and 6). The Communications System contract, awarded by Type 45 Prime Contractor BAE Systems, maintains core commonality with the original Batch 1 design (ships 1, 2 and 3) whilst incorporating further technology insertion necessary to keep pace with evolving developments in the fast moving communications market. The Batch 1 FICS contract was awarded to Thales in 2001 following extensive competition. Initial FICS equipment installation is now under way on the first of class, HMS DARING, while programme work for ships 2 and 3 is progressing well with increased efficiencies already being achieved. Thales has already started Batch 2 programme work to ensure ship 4 critical dates will be met.
AIR
15 May 06. The Finnish Air Force signed the contract with EADS CASA to purchase two (2) C-295 military transport aircraft, with an option to purchase a further five (5). Col. Ossi Koskela, Chief of Aircraft and Weapon System, and Aatos Kaukinen, Chief of Procurement Branch, signed on behalf of the Finnish Air Force, in the presence of Major Gral. Heikki Lyytinen, Commamder in Chief of the Finnish Air Force, and Brigadier General Jarkko Numminen, Chief of Finnish Air Force Headquarters, while EADS CASA was represented by its Chairman, Francisco Fernández Sáinz.
15 May 06. EADS Astrium has been awarded a contract from the UK’s latest satellite operator Avanti Screenmedia Group plc for an innovative
communications satellite known as HYLAS (Highly Adaptable Satellite). The
satellite will provide interactive high definition television and
interactive broadband services from its UK orbital position of 33.5 degrees
West and cover 22 countries in western and central Europe. This is a key milestone as it is the first contract for EADS Astrium’s latest communications payload technology, Generic Flexible Payload and Next Generation Antenna. The satellite will be a flight demonstrator for this innovative technology. HYLAS benefits from investment from the British National Space Centre (BNSC) and the European Space Agency (ESA). The satellite will use the ISRO I-2K small satellite platform and is the second order under a new co-operative agreement EADS Astrium has with ANTRIX/ISRO.
17 May 06. QinetiQ and Thales UK awarded £1.7m ‘first phase’ of decision support contract. Aim is to reduce operator workload and improve detection & identification capabilities of airborne C4ISTAR assets. QinetiQ and Thales UK have been jointly awarded an initial £1.7m research phase of the Decision Support System contract by MOD to investigate and demonstrate innovative ways to assist the operators of Tactical Air Battlespace Management Systems in identifying, classifying and tracking a variety of targets. The programme is designed to rapidly assess new