LOCKHEED MARTIN UK AWARDS SOOTHSAYER PLATFORM INTEGRATION CONTRACT TO INSYS
06 Jan 04. Lockheed Martin UK has awarded INSYS Limited of Ampthill, Bedfordshire, a £15m Platform Integration contract for the UK MoD Soothsayer Electronic Warfare Programme. Soothsayer will provide a sophisticated integrated Electronic Support Measures and Electronic Countermeasures capability for the British Army and Royal Marines.
In addition to completing the traditional core activities of full vehicle integration and shelter design INSYS will provide the System Integration Facility and will be an important part of transitioning US technology into the UK, consistent with established protocols for technology sharing between the two nations.
Teamed with Lockheed Martin are:
INSYS – Ampthill, Bedford. Full vehicle integration and shelter design work as well as final vehicle assembly and testing.
LogicaCMG – Leatherhead, Surrey. Integration framework and software integration, including links to Bowman and Land Digitisation programmes; human machine interface; training, and security accreditation of the system.
QinetiQ – Great Malvern, Worcestershire. Advanced EW software products and development and integration of specialised software.
Detica – Guildford, Surrey. Advanced security management, operational analysis and development of doctrine.
Supacat – Dunkeswell, Devon. High Mobility 6×6 truck provides a major step forward in off-road mobility. Sophisticated suspension reduces crew fatigue and equipment failure.
Argon Engineering – Fair Lakes, Virginia, USA, experts in ESM and ECM sub-systems. Argon will couple capabilities from its own lighthouse product line with critical EW capabilities developed by QinetiQ to meet Soothsayer requirements.
The £130 million Soothsayer programme will bring the latest electronic warfare capability to the United Kingdom. As the programme progresses from early design to systems integration and delivery, the centre of gravity for the programme focal point of work will shift from Lockheed Martin and its suppliers in the US to INSYS’ Ampthill System Integration Facility. The Lockheed Martin Integrated Project Team (IPT) will include staff from team members Argon Engineering, Detica, LogicaCMG, QinetiQ and Supacat, as well as members of the MoD’s Land EW IPT and customer community.
In the UK itself, Lockheed Martin UK Integrated Systems in Havant is providing joint programme and contract management aspects and coordinating all UK sub-contractors. This work builds on the successful track record and experience of managing complex systems integration projects such as the UK Cooperative Engagement Capability (UK CEC), the Royal Navy’s new Merlin helicopter and Tomahawk Integration programmes.
Soothsayer will intercept and monitor many types of enemy communications or signals in real-time, including radar, multi-frequency emissions and other electronic data. This expanded capability will give commanders more accurate intelligence data to suit the needs of high tempo operations. Soothsayer will be supplied in hard and soft skin versions; both will be rapidly deployable, enabling expeditionary forces to gain rapid benefit from this new capability. Soothsayer will start to enter service from 2006. Future upgrades will integrate the system with airborne platforms for enhanced network-enabled capability
“Signing this contract with team partner INSYS demonstrates our commitment to bring advanced technology and investment into the UK,” said Ian Stopps, CBE, Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin UK. “It will strengthen the UK industrial base and further develops our partnership activities with INSYS.”
Brian Hibbert, Managing Director of INSYS, said, “Soothsayer will provide the British Army and Royal Marines with the most sophisticated electronic warfare system world-wide. We are proud to be part of Lockheed Martin’s core team supplying this capability.”
Lockheed Martin UK, a unit of Lockhe