Haifa, Israel. Elbit Systems recently has been awarded a contract valued at approximately US$53 million to provide and integrate intelligence suites onboard vessels of the Navy of a country in Southeast Asia. The contract will be performed over a two-year period.
Under the contract Elbit Systems will equip several vessels with suites that provide the capability to perform complex reconnaissance missions, generating an operational picture of the air, surface and underwater domains.
Elbit Systems will supply and integrate comprehensive suites comprised of an array of systems from across the company’s maritime portfolio, including: AES-212 electronic intelligence systems, NATACS naval tactical communication intelligence systems and jamming capabilities, SPECTRO XRTM electro-optical payloads, M670 hull mounted sonars, TRAPS towed reel-able active/passive sonars, underwater communication systems and combat management systems.
The programme also includes maritime radars and satellite communication capabilities. In addition, the company will provide training services.
Optimised for maritime applications, Elbit Systems Intelligence and Electro-optics – Elop’s (Elop) naval sensors and systems, and highly advanced coastal security systems deliver outstanding 24/7 intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and identification capabilities.
The battle-proven Elop CoMPASS family of stabilised EO payloads is designed to withstand harsh environmental conditions such as Sea State 6.
Members of the CoMPASS payload family are currently in operational service worldwide with various navies and coast guard forces. The payloads feature day/night imaging sensors and laser designators for reconnaissance, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and target designation.
Additionally, Elop offers comprehensive harbour and coastal security and surveillance systems for monitoring maritime traffic, prevention of smuggling, illegal shipments, customs violations and unlawful infiltration, controlling fishing activities and coordination of search and rescue.
Our unique proprietary technologies are outstanding tools for the full range of naval and coastal protection activities.
Only recently Elbit announced the successful integration of the Towed Reelable Active Passive Sonar (TRAPS) for Unmanned Surface Vessels (TRAPS-USV) onboard the company’s Seagull USV.
The sea trials included multiple deployment and recovery cycles, towing at different speeds and transmission at various power levels.
Integration of the TRAPS-USV enables the Seagull USV to perform Anti-Submarine Warfare operations on-the-move, substantially extending its operative range and further enhancing its flexibility. The integration of the TRAPS-USV follows the recent conversion for operation, by the Israeli Navy, of Helicopter Long-Range Active Sonar (HELRAS) dipping sonar onboard the Seagull USV.
The TRAPS-USV version is a compact variant of the TRAPS, an operationally proven technology that is intended for detection, classification, localisation, and tracking of submarines in ASW operations. TRAPS versions are containerised or permanent-fit for any size, diverse purpose vessel. The TRAPS-USV variant is lighter weight but maintains all acoustic active sonar capabilities of the regular TRAPS.
The Seagull autonomous multi-mission USV features a plug and play, modular mission payload suites and can perform, in addition to ASW, Mine Countermeasure Missions (MCM), Electronic Warfare (EW), Maritime Security (MS), underwater surveys and other missions using the same vessel, mission control system and data links.
The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist
