OCCAR (Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation) has awarded Naviris and eurosam a contract for the mid-life upgrade (MLU) of class frigates Horizon Italian and French. The two co-contractors, Naviris and Eurosam, will work in close collaboration with their shareholders, Fincantieri and Naval Group for the frigate, MBDA Italia, MBDA France and Thales for the new generation of the system Principal Anti-Air Missile System & Long-Range Radar (PAAMS & LRR).
The value of the contract for Naviris and eurosam is 1,5 billion euros. More specifically, Naviris will finalize the subcontract contracts in the next few days, including the one with Fincantieri, which will have a value of 211 million euros and constitutes a transaction between related parties of greater significance defined in compliance with the relevant applicable legislation.
With this upgrade, the class frigates Horizon they will receive state-of-the-art modernization of the entire ship and the enhancement of combat capabilities. The new weapon systems and related command and control and electronic warfare suites will provide maximum capabilities and performance against the most modern threats. In reference to anti-aircraft warfare, the new generation of PAAMS & LRR (Principal Anti-Air Missile System & Long-Range Radar) is a very significant upgrade and the system will be able to defeat next decade threats such as missiles (hypersonic, ballistic, supersonic sea-skimmer, high velocity cruise), UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle) to aircraft highly manoeuvrable, in a saturation attack scenario.
Damien Raby, CEO of Naviris and Enrico Bonetti, COO of Naviris, said: “We are very proud of today's result; the contract signed today is the result of a journey, undertaken together with our partner eurosam and our customers: OCCAR, whom we sincerely thank for the excellent work carried out, the Naval Armaments Directorate of the General Secretariat of Defense / National Armaments Directorate and the DGA, which began with the awarding of the feasibility studies which will make the execution of the program even more solid. This contract is a key step for Naviris in demonstrating its ability to execute a multinational program and further reinforces the joint venture's role as a center of gravity in the relationship between Fincantieri and Naval Group, also in collaboration with Leonardo and SIGEN (ELT and Thales). ”.
Eva Bruxheimer, Managing Director of eurosam, said: “PAAMS & LRR, a unique system installed on the four Italian and French frigates, has been successfully employed worldwide for over 15 years in synergy with PAAMS and LRR – UK variant installed on the six Type-45 destroyers. This new generation of PAAMS & LRR system for frigates, developed and manufactured by eurosam through MBDA Italy, MBDA France and Thales, and integrated jointly with Naviris on frigates, is based on an upgraded missile (ASTER Block 1 NT), an upgraded launch , two new AESA radars (Kronos Grand Naval by Leonardo and SMART-L MM/N by Thales) and a new command and control system with open software architecture”.
The Frigates Horizon they were built between 2000 and 2010 as part of a joint program between Fincantieri and the Naval Group, equipping the Italian and French Navies with innovative frigates with anti-aircraft capabilities. The PAAMS & LRR system was originally developed and manufactured, under the responsibility of eurosam, for the four class frigates Horizon.
Main characteristics of class units Horizon
Total length / width: 153m / 20,3m
Displacement / full load: 6.500 tons / 7.300 tons
Capacity: 210 (crew 190 + 20 passengers)
Range: 7.000 nautical miles at 18 knots
Maximum speed: 29 knots
The vessel is designed to serve a wide variety of missions, including high-intensity operations, all with light crew. The frigates Horizon they are front-line combat ships with a strong distinctive capability: anti-aircraft warfare, also known as air defense. The prerogatives of the ships are therefore the control of the airspace over the area of operations, the command and control of the air defense and the anti-aircraft cover for aircraft carrier groups and convoys. The frigates Horizon they provide protection against high-intensity threats and anti-ship missile attacks. They also contribute to air and sea control during military operations by providing air defense command and control of allied forces. They can also participate in public service missions.
