CONTRACT NEWS IN BRIEF

EUROPE

LAND

Jun 08. EADS Test & Services (UK) Ltd has been awarded a £1.6m maintenance services contract from Thales UK’s Glasgow-based optronics business for continued support of the UK MoD’s General Purpose Thermal Imager Repair Facility (GPTIRF). This contract is part of an on-going programme of work which will involve EADS Test & Services (UK) Ltd continuing to support this equipment to enable it to respond to the constant changes in today’s military requirements. GPTIRF supports battle-winning systems such as the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank and the Starstreak High Velocity Missile. It is a vehicle mounted Optronic Repair Facility which is used to test and diagnose failures in electro-optical Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) deployed by UK land forces. GPTIRF carries out repairs as far forward as is operationally possible and technically feasible enabling technicians to repair complex armoured fighting vehicle Sighting Systems in a heated, well lit, clean environment.

SEA

06 Jun 08. EADS Defence & Security (DS) has delivered the last of four TRS-3D naval radars to the Royal Norwegian Coast Guard, thus completing a two digit million Euro project aiming at improved security of Norway’s coastal waters and safe helicopter guidance in extreme weather conditions. Under a contract awarded in 2005, Defence Electronics, an integrated Business Unit of EADS Defence & Security, has equipped the three offshore patrol vessels (OPV) of the “Nordkapp” and one arctic offshore patrol vessel (AOPV) of the “Svalbard” class with its TRS-3D/16-ES self-defence multi-mode Radar.

09 Jun 08. Saft has won a contract from ECA, the France-based robotic systems specialist, to supply the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery system that will power the French Navy’s “Guerre des Mines” mine countermeasures AUV currently under development. The advanced technology Saft Li-ion battery system will enable the new demonstrator AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) to stay submerged for a long period of time while cruising at 4 knots (7.4 km/h) – Li-ion is the only battery technology capable of providing this combination of endurance and power within the restricted space envelope available within the AUV’s design.

AIR

11 June 08. EADS Defence & Security (DS) will carry out the modernisation programme of four Harrier AV-8B “Day Attack” aircraft for the Spanish Navy. The contract, with a value of €11.5m Euros, has been signed with Navair, the U.S. governmental authority acting on behalf of the Spanish Navy. The contract will be executed throughout the next three years, until 2011. The new aircraft configuration upgrades the current Harrier AV-8B to a version very similar to the one already integrated into the Harrier II PLUS fleet operated by the Spanish Navy. Military Air Systems (MAS), an integrated business unit of EADS Defence & Security, will be responsible for implementing the modification, testing the upgrade, and supporting the re-introduction into service of the aircraft, including the certification process. The modernization programme includes the installation of new Rolls Royce Pegasus 408A engines, advanced avionics, and structural and component modifications. It also foresees the incorporation of technical orders and the revision of the third level of Scheduled Depot Level Maintenance.

10 Jun 08. Lockheed Martin has awarded CAE U.K. plc a contract to design and manufacture two Hawk 128 full-mission simulators (FMSs) and related training support services as part of the U.K.’s Military Flying Training System (MFTS) program. The contract is valued at more than C$24m (£11.8m). Contract options for maintenance and support services could bring the total value to more than C$48m.

06 Jun 08. Rohde & Schwarz is pleased to announce the award of a contract for their R&S M3AR VHF/UHF Airborne Transceivers for the Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 by Ultra Electronics as part of the BAE Systems Capability Upgrade Strategy (Pi