SOTECH 2010 Volume: 8 Issue: 5 (July)
Avon Protection Secures Further Australian Military Order
Avon Protection has won a contract to supply a further 7,000 of its CBRN S10 respirators to the Australian Department of Defence (DoD), thereby reinforcing the strong relationship between the two that dates back to the 1990s.
The NATO standard S10 has been, and still is, the trusted respiratory system of the U.K. MoD. It also continues to play an important part within many international defence forces, and is widely regarded as offering the highest protection levels of any mask currently in service worldwide. The S10 is a proven, highly reliable respirator that has protected soldiers in the harshest of threat environments for over 20 years.
“We are delighted that the Department of Defence has again chosen Avon’s S10 respirator for its armed forces,” said David Hinds, Avon Protection’s regional sales manager for Australia. “This just goes to prove how much the Australian DoD relies and trusts Avon’s respirators in the harshest of threat environments.”
Avon is widely acknowledged as the world leader in the design, build and manufacture of CBRN respiratory protection. This is proved through the high quality range of solutions Avon provides for its customers, which now includes, alongside the S10, the extensively used CE- and NIOSH-approved FM12, the “next generation” 50 series (comprising the C50, FM50 and FM53, which is currently going into service with all four U.S. services, and is the first choice of special forces around the world) together with the short duration CE-approved EH20 and NIOSH-approved NH15 emergency hoods. Through these influential respiratory solutions, Avon has built up a number of long-term working relationships with the likes of worldwide militaries, law enforcement teams, European police forces and the Australian military.
Swedish Military Awards Contract to U.S. Firm
Data Link Solutions has been awarded a $29.6 million contract for Multifunctional Information Distribution System - Low Volume Terminals (MIDS-LVTs) from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, FMV. The equipment is to be used by FMV and the Swedish military. These MIDS-LVT terminals provide real-time data communications, situational awareness, navigation and digital voice capability, all in a jam-resistant, crypto-secured package.
“This contract continues a 10-year relationship between DLS and the Swedish military to meet their data link network requirements,” said DLS Director Steve Overbeck.
Deliveries begin later this year and will continue through 2012. The terminals will be installed on Gripen fighters, Erieye C2 aircraft as well as various ground and maritime applications. Work will be performed in Wayne, N.J., Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Heidelberg, Germany.
The MIDS-LVT is a compact, low-cost Link 16 terminal designed for space constrained applications like fighter aircraft with a flexible, open-architecture design. It provides the critical airborne, ground and maritime link that allows for simultaneous coordination of forces and situational awareness in battlefield operations.
Enhanced Capabilities for French Unmanned Aircraft
EADS Defence & Security has delivered 35 specially modified new unmanned air vehicle (UAV) DRAC systems to the French Army to enhance its capabilities in mountainous terrain. This delivery took place at the end of a series of ground-based and in-flight verification operations launched in November 2009 and carried out together with the French defence procurement agency DGA (Direction Generale de l’Armement). The new batch follows a first batch of 25 DRAC systems delivered to the Ministry of Defence in July 2008. The systems delivered this year will contribute to the safety of French troops deployed in very hostile theaters of operation and will improve the efficiency of their missions.As far as its design is concerned, the DRAC system combines highly advanced technology with flexibility in its implementation and use, providing the forces with enhanced military capabilities in its function as a shortrange, cost-efficient drone adapted to the requirements of modern armies. DRAC is based on the Tracker system developed by EADS in collaboration with the French SME SurveyCopter, in compliance with extremely strict specifications laid down by the French customer. SurveyCopter is supplying the aerial vehicle and the daytime and nighttime cameras. EADS, as prime contractor, is integrating the system with a special ground station and a secure, highspeed, digital datalink with an automatic tracking function, which gives the system a genuine long-range capability even in severe weather conditions. DRAC’s high level of security will make it eligible for type certification as of this year. The DRAC system is very practically packaged in two separate rucksacks so that missions can be carried out fully autonomously. Tracker is undoubtedly among the mini-UAV systems that offer the best cost-performance ratio available in the market. In this way, the DRAC can operate by day or night for up to 90 minutes and at distances of more than 10 km from its user, transmitting in real time the images and data it has gathered through the precision of a miniaturized GPS code P(Y) receiver on board the UAV. ♦