Safran Navigates Australia’s Future Submarine Program
As part of a $36.77 million contract, Lockheed Martin Australia and the Australian Department of Defence have appointed Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia Pty Ltd. to design three major combat system components for the country’s Future Submarine Program. The contract, in force through May 2023, is for that combat system’s optronic search and attack mast, navigation radar, and navigation data distribution components. Prototype components and interface simulators developed as a result of the contract will enable Lockheed Martin Australia to validate the performance of the combat system in its Combat System Architecture Laboratory (CSAL) in Adelaide, Australia.
Safran will subcontract two Australian companies, Acacia Systems and Thomas Global Systems, for the design and development of software and hardware, respectively. More than 11 full-time positions will be created within Safran and its partners as a result of the contract. “Lockheed Martin Australia, in concert with the Department of Defence, is committed to maximizing opportunities for Australian industry involvement through all phases of the Future Submarine Program,” said Joe North, Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand chief executive. “Safran represents the international benchmark in submarine optronic and navigation systems, and we are honored to welcome the company and its partners to our Australian combat system team.”
Safran Electronics & Defense Australasia is an innovative designer of hybrid navigation equipment based on RF and optoelectronic technologies. The subsystems resist intentional and unintentional electromagnetic (EM) jamming.
