Royal Navy orders interface upgrade

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Jan 13, 2006

Ultra Electronics' Command and Control Systems business, located in High Wycombe, UK, has won a contract to upgrade the weapon interfacing equipment for the Royal Navy's submarines.

Ultra Electronics' Command and Control Systems business, located in High Wycombe, UK, has won a contract to upgrade the weapon interfacing equipment for the Royal Navy's submarines.

The order, worth around GBP 15 million over five years, includes continuing support for the currently installed equipment, originally supplied by Ultra about 30 years ago and supported and upgraded since then.

This is now becoming unsupportable due to obsolescence.

The contract therefore also includes the development, installation and support of a modern, replacement system which will be derived from the equivalent equipment that Ultra is developing for the new Astute class submarines.

These systems will then be installed on selected existing boats during routine maintenance periods.

The weapon interface equipment manages the weapons while they are still in the submarine launch tubes, providing power and monitoring their condition.

It provides the upload of data prior to weapon launch and controls and monitors the launch sequence.

For a wire guided weapon, it also manages the data exchange during the attack.

The system will support both the Spearfish heavyweight torpedo and the Tomahawk land attack cruise missile.

The Ultra solution uses off-the-shelf technology and provides an innovative staged obsolescence management scheme to support the boats for the next 20 years.

Its adoption across the fleet will significantly reduce the MoD's level of inventory and will deliver supply chain efficiency improvements.

Douglas Caster, Chief Executive of Ultra commented: "This contract is the result of effective joint working with the Defence Logistics Organisation in the MoD, looking for the best solution to obsolescence issues whilst capitalising on the development work Ultra is undertaking for the new Astute class submarines".

"It is a good example of Ultra working innovatively with its customers to provide what they have characterised as being 'a world class level of service and support'".