BAE Systems, WARTON, UK: BAE Systems has been awarded a contract by the UK Ministry of Defence to integrate Lockheed Martin’s Sniper advanced targeting pod on Harrier and provide operational emergency clearance advice.
The contract award follows a private-venture funded rapid technology insertion (RTI) programme in 2006 which showed the enhanced target identification and weapon delivery capability that could be gained with the integration of the pod.
BAE Systems Harrier programme director Nigel Davey commented: “The Harrier Sniper RTI programme is a prime example of the UK Defence Industrial Strategy in action. It demonstrates the practical application of rapid prototyping and concurrent engineering in anticipation of formal customer requirements.
“It is also clear evidence of the company's readiness to invest in future capability and commitment to support the customer. The RTI programme has provided a solid foundation for Sniper integration and makes it possible to deliver operational capability in a much shorter timescale than a conventional programme would permit.”
Discussions between BAE Systems, Selex and Lockheed Martin in early September confirmed the feasibility of a Sniper RTI programme. In a compressed programme of hardware and software development, aircraft integration, rig testing and certification, the team conducted the first flight just two months after the first RTI integration meeting.
BAE Systems test pilot Peter Kosogorin commented: “The performance of the Sniper pod on Harrier was exceptional in terms of resolution, accuracy and stability of the display. The extra features and performance provided by Sniper are a great improvement over the current Harrier targeting capability.”
BAE Systems’ private venture capital was also used to further develop the solution and give interim clearance advice to enable the RAF’s 41(R) Squadron to conduct operational evaluation trials in less than four weeks from receipt of the request for quotation. The RTI process enables the Services to exploit technologies as they become available and is an important feature in meeting the demands of operations where flexibility, responsiveness, short timescales and military effectiveness are vital.
BAE Systems is a global defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 88,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £13.7 billion pounds sterling (US25.4 billion dollars) in 2006.
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