Royal Navy's PAAMS Sea Trials Platform Arrives in Toulon

Released on Thursday, November 29, 2007

The Royal Navy's PAAMS (Principal Anti-Air Missile System) has moved closer to service entry as prime contractor MBDA prepares the new advanced naval air defence system for firing trials.

The PAAMS(S) Sea Trials Platform, Longbow, has arrived at the Toulon naval base in the Mediterranean in readiness for the firing trials campaign to verify the full performance of the integrated PAAMS(S) system. The firings will take place at the CELM (Centre d'Essais de Lancement des Missiles) test range near the Ile du Levant off the French Mediterranean coast. The first full firing will be undertaken in the first half of 2008.

PAAMS is the next generation naval air defence system for self, local and fleet area defence that will equip the Royal Navy's new Daring class Type 45 destroyers as well as the Horizon and Orizzonte frigates of the French and Italian Navies respectively. The Royal Navy's PAAMS (S) system differs from the PAAMS (E) selected by France and Italy as it will employ the newly-developed SAMPSON Multi-Function Radar (MFR) radar being built by BAE Systems INSYTE. France and Italy selected the EMPAR MFR, hence the PAAMS (E) configuration.

Nick Neale, PAAMS(S) Project Director, said: "The PAAMS (S) programme is progressing extremely well and we are looking forward with confidence to the trials next year. The firing campaign will benefit from all the experience gained from de-risking activities undertaken to date at MBDA's PAAMS Integration Facility in Bristol and the Eskmeals development facility in Cumbria (north England), the integration and trials carried out on Longbow and the integration with the ship combat system carried out at the BAE Systems' Maritime Integration & Support Centre (MISC) at Portsmouth", he said.

Antoine Bouvier, CEO of MBDA, said: "PAAMS(S) is well placed to benefit from the successful firings of MBDA's Aster 15 and 30 missiles under the Franco-Italian SAAM naval air defence system, SAMP/T ground-based air defence system and PAAMS (E) system (for which the final qualification firing took place in May 2007). We are moving ever closer to the date when both versions of PAAMS will be in service, providing what is undoubtedly the world's best naval air defence system of its type".

All the PAAMS (S) system elements have been set to work on the first of class Type 45, HMS Daring, and deliveries of PAAMS equipment to the second Type 45, HMS Dauntless, are complete.