EUROPE

LAND

09 Jun 10. SELEX Sistemi Integrati wins Forza NEC contract worth EUR 238m. SELEX Sistemi Integrati, a Finmeccanica company, has signed a contract worth EUR 238 million with the Land Armaments General Directorate – Italian Ministry of Defence to supply the Italian armed forces with a digitised system known as Forza NEC (Network Enabled Capability). The aim of the Forza NEC programme is to modernise the armed forces using technology that will make it possible to exchange the maximum amount of operational, tactical and logistical information from each vehicle or individual deployed in the field. SELEX Sistemi Integrati signed the five-year contract in its role as main supplier, system integrator and lead company in the definition of the overall system architecture. The programme will also involve other Finmeccanica companies such as SELEX Communications, SELEX Galileo, Elsag Datamat, Oto Melara, AgustaWestland and MBDA Italia. Other members of the industrial alliance include Elettronica, Iveco, Engineering Ingegneria Informatica, the Iveco-Oto Melara consortium and the temporary consortium Soldato Futuro. The contract covers the manufacture and integration of command posts in shelters and vehicles, communication, command and control devices for soldiers (under the Soldato Futuro programme), unmanned vehicles equipped with sensors, and systems offering full interoperability between the Italian armed forces and the forces of other countries. A test laboratory consisting of numerous military centres connected in a network will also be constructed and delivered.

SEA

02 Jun 10 Torpedoes: Upgrading. MoD Contracts Bulletin (2 Jun 10) announced that BAE Systems Electronics has been awarded a
£53m contract for the manufacture of insensitive munition warhead systems and integration into the Sting Ray Mod 1 weapon. The Bulletin (2 Jun 10) also announced that BAE Systems Electronics has been awarded a £45m contract to deliver essential safety improvements for Spearfish torpedoes.
Comment: Sting Ray is a lightweight, anti-submarine torpedo carried aboard RN ships as well as Lynx and Merlin helicopters. Norway has purchased Sting Ray. Spearfish is a submarine-launched, heavyweight torpedo deployed in all RN submarines including the new Astute Class. (Source: DNA DEFENCE NEWS ANALYSIS, Issue 09/22, 07 June 09)

09 Jun 10. Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract to supply new radar systems for installation on 10 German Navy ships.
The contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman’s Naval and Marine Systems Division by the German Navy procurement authority through the responsible naval departments. The new 10-ship contract follows the successful completion of a four-year, $4.3m program, under which the existing radars on 70 German navy ships were replaced by the company’s Sperry Marine BridgeMaster™ E radar sets. Under the new contract, Northrop Grumman will install its new-generation Sperry Marine VisionMaster™ FT radar systems on 10 additional German Navy ships. Two of the vessels will be fitted with the company’s unique dual-channel radar technology, which permits two independent asynchronous radar units to be displayed and controlled on a single console. The company will also provide training, spares, installation, engineering and project management support.

AIR

Jun 10. Microtecnica, the aerospace equipment specialist, has been selected by Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc (TAI) to supply the environmental control system for Turkey’s new two-seat trainer aircraft, the Hurkus. The Hurkus will be the first trainer aircraft designed and built in Turkey. Although primarily for use by the Turkish Air Force, the Hurkus will also be marketed worldwide as a civil and military aircraft suitable for both civilian and military flight training. Microtecnica’s work involves designing and manufacturing a complete environmental control system for the new aircraft. The system will use energy-saving technology by