EUROPE
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08 Dec 06. The French Defense Ministry said Dec. 8 it would award a contract to GE Fleet Services to purchase and maintain a fleet of new commercial vehicles that would be leased to the ministry for six years. These vehicles would replace the existing fleet of 20,120 vehicles, which will be sold off by the Finance Ministry for an expected €60m ($79.8m). A spokeswoman for GE Fleet Services said the deal was worth 360 million euros over six years and was the company’s largest ever fleet contract in Europe. A number of French and international banks took part in the competition, a government official said. The contract was due to be signed the week of Dec. (Source: Defense News)
Dec 06. EADS and partners Oerlikon Contraves of Switzerland and Kongsberg of Norway won a contract to deliver an air defense system to the Netherlands, EADS said. The Dutch Ministry of Defense awarded the contract, worth €85m ($113m) for EADS, after an international competition, Reuters reported. EADS will supply TRML-3D radars, EADS and Oerlikon will deliver mobile command-and-control operations centers, and Oerlikon will supply a digital radio network.
Kongsberg will supply six Advanced Surface-to-Air-Missile Systems II. (Source: Defense News)
05 December 2006. Rheinmetall to supply Bundeswehr with 13 Wiesel 2 armoured field ambulances. Germany’s Federal Agency for Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) in Koblenz has contracted with Rheinmetall to supply the Bundeswehr with a second lot of Wiesel 2 tracked armoured vehicles configured as field ambulances. In a separate order, Rheinmetall will also be supplying the Bundeswehr with two Wiesel 2 training vehicles and two training models as well as accompanying logistical materiel for training German maintenance units. Together the two orders are worth around €9m. Under the terms of the orders, delivery of the vehicles and training equipment is to be largely completed by the end of 2007. These orders ensure stable utilization of the company’s Wiesel 2 production capacity in Unterlüß and Kiel during the coming year. This brings the number of Wiesel 2 vehicles procured by the Bundeswehr to over 140. It also consolidates Rheinmetall’s role as the Bundeswehr’s leading supplier of lightweight tactical vehicles for out-of-area operations.
AIR
08 Dec 06. BAE Systems has been awarded a contract for the supply of microwave modules that form an integral part of the Eurofighter Typhoon Defensive Aids Sub System (DASS). The contract, which was awarded by SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems (S&AS) UK, is valued at approximately £4 million. The contract will see BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies (Insyte) deliver parts for the Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) & Electronic Surveillance Measures (ESM) sub-systems which form a vital part of the Typhoon defensive aids system. DASS gives Eurofighter Typhoon pilots the ability to monitor and respond to the threat environment outside the cockpit during operations. The DASS is able to operate fully automatically requiring no pilot intervention.
Dec 06. QinetiQ signed a contract with the UK MOD to supply a Combined Aerial Target Service (CATS) for the UK’s armed forces. Worth up to £308m over 20 years, this is QinetiQ’s largest competed sale to date. QinetiQ was confirmed by the MOD as preferred bidder for this air target service contract in March 2006 after open competition. (Source: Shephard)
18 Dec 06. Total Support Services (TSS), a strategic cooperation between SELEX S&AS UK, Thales and Smiths, has secured an important contract to provide the avionics input to AgustaWestland’s support of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force Merlin Helicopter fleets. TSS will provide a comprehensive air vehicle avionics support package to the Integrated Merlin Operational Support (IMOS) programme, which will play a key role in ensuring that the Royal Navy EH101 Merlin Mk 1 and the Royal Air Force’s EH101 Merlin MK 3 helicopters retain their pl