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07 Apr 17. BAE Systems has been awarded contracts by the Estonian government to support the country’s fleet of CV9035 infantry fighting vehicles (IFV). The company announced the awards on 5 April. The agreements cover configuration management for new IFV capabilities, as well as maintenance, repairs, and spare parts. The contracts cover 44 CV9035 vehicles acquired from the Netherlands in 2014. Estonia is one of seven nations operating more than 1,200 CV90s. (Source: Shephard)
12 Apr 17. Saab has signed a contract extension with the United Kingdom’s (UK) Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the provision of Support and Services to the Direct Fire Weapon Effects Simulator (DFWES) capability. The three year extension has a value of MSEK245 and comes into effect during 2017. The order will be booked in the first quarter 2017. DFWES is a high fidelity laser based Tactical Engagement Simulation (TES) system, that allows dismounted and mounted troops to simulate the effects of direct and indirect fire. All weapon systems and vehicles from small arms through to Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) are simulated and all training data can be gathered to objectively assess performance and enhance learning through an informed After Action Review (AAR) process. DFWES also incorporates fully deployable Urban, Counter IED and Full Motion Video (FMV) training capabilities, which facilitates realistic and challenging training for all those taking part.
10 Apr 17. Thales will supply vehicle communication system SOTAS to Denmark.
• Thales has signed a framework agreement to supply vehicle communication system SOTAS to the Danish Defence and Logistic Organization in Denmark.
• SOTAS systems are based on a high performance open architecture that is modular, scalable and future-proof.
The Thales SOTAS systems are fielded in more than 30 countries supporting the broad range of wheeled and tracked military tactical vehicles.
SEA
07 Apr 17. Cohort company SEA has been awarded a UK Ministry of Defence contract to upgrade the Ambient Noise Prediction System (ANPS) for the UK Royal Navy. The ANPS takes meteorological and oceanographic forecasts, together with oceanographic databases, and performs complex acoustic propagation calculations to produce regular forecasts of ambient noise conditions in the ocean. The results enable the UK Royal Navy vessels to plan operations and improve the effectiveness of their sonars, allowing them to adjust elements such as sonar frequencies and depths accordingly. Noise sources in the marine environment have changed considerably over the past few years, as have the quality and resolution of meteorological forecasting models and geo-acoustic data. The upgraded ANPS will incorporate the latest available environmental information and take advantage of higher resolution meteorological models to produce ambient forecasts that will be used by vessels equipped with sonar assets throughout the UK Royal Navy. The ANPS was first developed by SEA, which worked in conjunction with the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton and in collaboration with NATO scientists to undertake research into acoustic characterisation of the seabed. It was released to the RN in 2003. The ANPS is now part of the operational support provided to the Fleet by the Joint Operational Meteorology and Oceanography Centre (JOMOC).
AIR
10 Apr 17. The SIMMAD assigns the supply chain market of aeronautical consumables to Thales.
• For the next 10 years, Thales will be responsible for managing a controlled supply chain that is adapted to the aeronautical constraints of the French Air Force.
• The LORCA service contract will be fully operational in September 2017.
• Thales has set up an IT system to manage and carry out the supply chain programme covering a stock of 200,000 references.
The French defence ministry’s integrated through-life support structure for aeronautical equipment and systems (SIMMAD) has awarded a 10-year ser