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SaabTech receives order for test and trial of BOL Countermeasures Dispensing System for the Australian Airforce’s F-18s
The Commonwealth of Australia has awarded SaabTech an order for adaptation and flight trials of the BOL Countermeasure Dispensing System for the Royal Australian Air Force’s F/A-18 Hornet.
"We are proud to be selected to be evaluated on the Australian Air Force’s F/A-18 fighters. The order shows that the BOL system is a world leading product well-established in the field of self-protection internationally," says SaabTech’s president Björn Erman.
The Australian Air Force will be the first customer to evaluate BOL on the F/A-18. The test and trial contract, that is valued at 16,5 MSEK (approx 2,2 MUSD), opens up for later manufacturing programs.
SaabTech will support RAAF flight trials scheduled for the 4th quarter of 2004. The trial is part of the Hornet Upgrade Program phase 2.3, which is an improvement to the aircraft's Electronic Warfare Self Protection. This program is believed to be the largest fighter aircraft improvement project in the world today. A successful trial may be followed by a production order for equipping an undisclosed number of F/A-18s with BOL dispensers.
The configuration for the F/A-18s is four BOLs per aircraft, comprising two conformal mountings on weapon pylons. This number of dispensers will dramatically increase the amount of expendables carried by each aircraft, and so lead to improved survivability against a variety of missile threats.
The Melbourne-based company Aerostructures has been contracted for the development of the pylon modification kit.
Facts about the BOL system:
The BOL system from Saab is an Advanced Countermeasures
Dispenser with proven superior performance. It holds 160 chaff/flare
packages, up to five times more than conventional dispensers.
Placed out on the wings, vortices will greatly improve dispersion
and provide the rapid blooming rate essential to breaking radar
locks and, in pre-emptive mode, deny acquisition of IR-seekers.
The system is in operational service on US Navy’s
F-14 Tomcat, UK Harrier GR7 and Tornado, and USAir Force’s/Air National Guard’s F-15 Eagle. The system is currently in production for US Air Force’s/Air National Guard’s F-15 Eagle, EF-2000 Typhoon and the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen.
Facts about the company:
SaabTech is a leading supplier of Avionics and Electronic
Warfare Systems on the international market, and a principal
supplier to the Gripen fighter.
The company offers a full range of Electronic Warfare assets, with focus on systems, equipment and in-service support for self-protection, ESM and Electronic Attack. Key elements are radar, UV and laser sensors as well as jammers, decoys and countermeasures dispenser systems.
The company's Avionics range includes airborne mission and utility systems, display- and recording systems, tactical reconnaissance systems and flight control equipment.
SaabTech is a member of the Saab Group, one of the world’s leading high-technology companies, with its main operations focusing on defence, aviation and space. The group covers a broad spectrum of competence and capabilities in systems integration.
Saab is one of the world’s
leading high-technology companies, with its main operations
focusing on defence, aviation and space. The group covers a broad
spectrum of competence and capabilities in systems integration.
Pictures available at:
http://www.newsonline.nu/imgway/index.asp?pmid=42681
For further information
please contact:
Per Hansson, Senior Manager Marketing and Sales,
Electronic Warfare Systems Division, SaabTech,
phone +46 73 437 44 37.
Anna Bergenlid, director of
communications & PR, SaabTech,
phone +46 73 437 53 06.
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