7th Dec 2006 14:53
SMITHS Aerospace, part of the global technology business SmithsGroup, has teamed with BAE Systems to develop an Unmanned Air Vehicle(UAV) technology demonstrator project called Taranis. £ Under a contract awarded by the UK Ministry of Defence, BAESystems will be the industry lead and prime contractor of a joint GBP124 million programme to develop Taranis. £ BAE Systems, Smiths Aerospace, Rolls-Royce and QinetiQ, will workalongside MoD staff and scientists to develop and fly Taranis. SmithsAerospace will provide the complete electrical power system forTaranis, along with its fuel gauging capability. £ Named after the Celtic God of Thunder, Taranis will explore anddemonstrate how emerging technologies and systems can deliverbattle-winning capabilities for the UK armed forces. £ The four-year Taranis project, part of the UK Government'sStrategic Unmanned Air Vehicle (Experimental) Programme (SUAV(E)),will result in a UAV with fully integrated autonomous systems and lowobservable features. £ John Ferrie, President of Smiths Aerospace, said: "We welcome thisimportant project and are delighted to be contributing our extensivecapabilities in vehicle systems which draw on our leading edge digitaland electrical power technologies." £ About the size of a BAE Systems Hawk, Taranis will provide the MoDwith experimental evidence on the potential capabilities of this classof UAV and help to inform decisions on the future mix of manned andunmanned fast jet aircraft. £ TARANIS is jointly funded by the UK MoD and UK industry, and willbring together a number of technologies, capabilities and systems toproduce a technology demonstrator based around a fully autonomousintelligent system. £ Ground testing of Taranis is expected to take place in early 2009with the first flight trials taking place in 2010. £ In addition to the existing industry partners, the project willalso engage a significant number of other UK suppliers to providesupporting technology and components. £ Mike Turner, Chief Executive of BAE Systems, said: "This projectsupports many of the key drivers outlined in the Defence IndustrialStrategy - in particular the way in which we, as a nation, continue todevelop a sustainable sovereign capability by supporting UK design andengineering skills. This is an important project in light of the wayin which military operations are changing." £ Editor's Notes £ BAE Systems, as prime contractor will provide many elements of theTaranis technology demonstrator, including the low observability,systems integration, control infrastructure and full autonomy elements(in partnership with QinetiQ); Rolls-Royce will focus on the nextgeneration propulsion installation for the demonstrator and SmithsAerospace will utilise their skills in 'vehicle systems'. The TDPProgramme will also use a number of other suppliers, some of whichhave already been selected, including the supply of flight controlcomputing from BAE Systems Australia, one of the few non UKdevelopments expected in the programme and support from BAE SystemsIntegrated System Technologies (INSYTE) with C4ISTAR related work. £ About BAE Systems £ BAE Systems is the premier transatlantic defence and aerospacecompany delivering a full range of products and services for air, landand naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, informationtechnology solutions and customer support services. With 88,000employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded 12 billion pounds(US22 billion dollars) in 2005, excluding the Group's former interestin Airbus. £ Smiths Group £ Smiths is a global technology company, listed on the London StockExchange. Smiths Group is a world leader in the practical applicationof advanced technologies. Our products and services make the worldsafer, healthier and more productive. Smiths Group has four divisions:Aerospace, Detection, Medical and Specialty Engineering. It employs32,000 people and has over 250 major facilities in 50 countries. Formore information visit www.smiths.com £ Smiths Aerospace £ Smiths Aerospace is a leading transatlantic aerospace systems andequipment business, with more than 11,000 employees and $2 billionrevenues globally. The business holds key positions in the supplychains of all major military and civil aircraft and enginemanufacturers and is a world-leader in digital, electrical power,mechanical systems, engine components and customer services. Forfurther information visit www.smiths-aerospace.com Copyright Business Wire 2006Related Shares:
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