SAGEM has signed a contract with SIMMAD, the Maintenance Organisation of the French Ministry of Defence, to provide in-service maintenance for the Sperwer tactical unmanned aircraft system deployed by the French Army. The contract covers all maintenance, repair and technical support services for systems in service with the army until 2014. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Sperwer UAS, which are launched in automatic mode by a catapult and recovered with a parachute, have been deployed in Afghanistan since 2003 to support NATO’s air-land forces. They include a gyro stabilised EO/IR payload and digital datalink in Ku-Ban bandwidth. Sagem has produced 25 complete Sperwer tactical UAS systems to date, including 140 aircraft. Air transportable in C-130 type freight aircraft and mobile on light trucks, the entire modular system includes a Ground Control Station (GCS) for flight control and mission analysis (including 3D mission planning, C4I connection, Geographical Information System, etc.); a Ground Data Terminal (GDT) housing the digital radio-link terminal; a catapult; and the aircraft.
The contract also includes an order with Robonic Ltd Oy, the Finnish subsidiary of Sagem, for two Kontio towed pneumatic catapult systems.
Sagem’s Dijon and Poitiers plants will produce the optronics modules for this contract, while the company’s Montluçon plant will work on the ground segment and the aircraft.
Source: Press Release