The French authorities have renewed the maintenance contract for the French coastal surveillance system, SPATIONAV, on the basis of a fruitful twenty-year collaboration for the safety of the oceans between the French Navy and Airbus.
Since 2002, under the supervision of the DGA (Direction Générale de l'Armement), as regards the management of the program, and of the SSF (Service de Soutien de la Flotte), as regards the support, Airbus has developed, implemented and maintained the SPATIONAV system to assist the French authorities in gathering information, managing maritime surveillance and intervening at sea. The system provides a tactical picture of the maritime situation to prepare and conduct the respective operations relating to the protection of maritime borders, search and rescue missions, the safety of maritime navigation, the detection of illegal activities and the protection of the environment.
With over 6000 kilometers of coastline monitored in real time 24 hours a day and 7 days a week by 750 operators, SPATIONAV is the cornerstone of maritime surveillance operations in France. The system provides the French Navy and the main national authorities involved in the State's maritime operations with a real-time surveillance system covering maritime approaches for mainland France and the French Antilles - Guyana area. It therefore constitutes a real system of command information and multi-agency operations for the French Navy, the Coast Guard and the Customs.
SPATIONAV's Coastal Recognized Maritime Picture integrates over 10.000 tracks in real time thanks to a vast network of sensors distributed on the French coast (105 sites, 88 radars, 77 AIS stations and 8 equipped Falcons). In addition, the system integrates over 50.000 extra European and international tracks through a secure cyber portal. Full knowledge of the situation is shared with the entire SPATIONAV community, thus optimizing missions at sea.
SPATIONAV is based on the Coastal Surveillance Systems - CSS (STYRIS). The solution combines the main functions of CSS such as the real-time coastal Recognized Maritime Picture, 24/24 monitoring of areas of interest, advanced tracking and the combination of data with some key features including better event management and advanced simulation capabilities to support decision making. In particular, the solution supports the operator's decision by providing intuitive command and control tools to speed up decision-making and the coordination of interested parties, helping to keep the operator's attention and reduce the workload.
