EUROPE
LAND
03 Apr 12. KBR has been awarded the Operational Support Capability Contract by the UK MoD. This contract, awarded to KBR after a competitive process, provides planning and delivery capability for support to the MoD’s Permanent Joint Headquarters. KBR will also provide project execution, using the significant experience gained over many years of support to the UK and international military forces.
05 Apr 12. Thales wins contract to develop strategic HF radio location system. Thales has been awarded a major contract by the defence ministry of a European country to develop a new high frequency (HF) radio location system. The contract will be implemented in phases over a 10-year period. Under the agreement, Thales will replace several legacy high-frequency (HF) radio location systems with a single solution drawing on the latest technologies. Built around a network of TRC 6500 COMINT/DF1 receivers, the new strategic system will comprise a fixed subsystem and a mobile subsystem, with several COMINT/DF receivers in each subsystem.
SEA
30 Mar 12. Sagem signed a contract with French naval shipyard DCNS, under the French defence procurement agency (DGA) as contracting authority, for the modernisation of fire control systems on six Floréal class surveillance frigates. The company made the announcement on 30 March 2012. According to Sagem, the modernisation will be based on the company’s new-generation Electro-Optical Multifunction System (EOMS-NG). The high-performance optronic system is a single unit, integrating day-night IRST (infrared search and track) type passive panoramic observation, identification, tracking and fire control. It will be operated from a dedicated work station of the operations room. Replacing the current Najir optronic system, the EOMS-NG will provide fire control for the Floréal class ships’ 100mm gun, their main artillery piece, and will contribute to their tactical situation awareness and the self-defence of the ship. The system features very short reaction time between detection and engagement, and is particularly well suited to fighting piracy and illicit traffic. Its panoramic observation concept is the equivalent of 100 fixed cameras. This contract from DCNS, prime contractor for the modernisation of the fire control system on Floréal class frigates, is a significant success for Sagem’s new range of shipborne optronic systems. (Source: Shephard)
02 Apr 12. Trilogy has been selected to provide Mercury IP communications systems for installation on two new build Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Irish Naval Service, due to begin operational life in January 2014 and January 2015 respectively. The 90 metre vessels are being built by Babcock at their Appledore yard in Devon, United Kingdom and are designed to service the Irish Naval Services coastal and offshore security requirements for the next 25 years. (Source: ASD Network)
AIR
03 Apr 12. A £60m deal for extra RAF precision weapons will help sustain hundreds of UK jobs, the MoD announced. Paveway IV is among the most advanced precision bombs in the world and considered the backbone of the RAF’s bombing capability. The contract has been awarded to Raytheon UK and will sustain some 450 jobs in advanced weapons manufacturing at its plants in Glenrothes, Scotland and Harlow, Essex. A number of jobs will also be sustained at subcontractors Portsmouth Aviation Ltd, Portsmouth and Thales plant based in Basingstoke. Paveway IV proved highly effective during the 2011 air campaign over Libya and is also currently used in Afghanistan on Tornado jets. It is fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and laser guidance systems which mean that the precision delivery of the capability is unaffected by clouds or smoke screens, giving the UK the capability to conduct 24-hour attacks against a wide range of targets. The weapon has a UK-developed fail-safe fuse mechanism means that the bomb will only detonate once it has reached i