Netherlands Awards Final Contract for FGBAD NL

Released on Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Today the Dutch Ministry of Defence awarded EADS the contract to supply technical systems for battle management command, control, communication, computers & information (BMC4I) part of the Netherlands Future Ground Based Air Defence (FGBAD NL). In the face of tough competition, EADS and its partners � Oerlikon Contraves and Kongsberg � won the contract with currently one of the world's most modern mobile air reconnaissance and weapon coordination system solutions available.

Through this contract, Full Operational Capability (FOC) of FGBAD NL will be realised. The contract covers full technical system integration responsibility from sensor-to-effector as well as full maintenance responsibility. The components of the system are two TRML-3D mobile surveillance radars from EADS, mobile command and control operation centres provided by EADS and Oerlikon, a digital radio communication network from Oerlikon and six Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air-Missile Systems II supplied by Kongsberg.

The Initial Operational Capability (IOC) contract - awarded in October 2004 � covered three TRML-3D mobile surveillance radars, mobile command and control operation shelters including a radio-based communications system � all of which were successfully delivered.

"This project testifies to the competence of EADS when it comes to air defence solutions. We are proud to contribute towards achieving an integrated, networked air defence system for the Netherlands," Hervé Guillou, CEO of EADS Defence and Communications Systems, pointed out.

"For the Dutch Ministry of Defence, the FGBAD programme is an important step in the modernization of air surveillance by ground-based air defence systems," stated the Dutch State Secretary for Defence, Cees Van der Knaap.

FGBAD NL supplements and completes the air surveillance command and control network and ensures the interoperability and compatibility of the air defence systems used by the armed forces in the Netherlands with those of their NATO partners. The system will also be used by crisis response forces at home and abroad.

To ensure weapon coordination, all components of the FGBAD NL are networked in a wireless LAN communications infrastructure. This modern communications network enables the secure, real-time exchange of information between the radar units and the command vehicle and weapon systems so that the present air situation and the threat level can be continuously analyzed. With this analysis, depending on the set priorities, aerial objects such as helicopters, cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles can be assigned by the air defence systems as targets.