ROME, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Italy's Selex Sistemi Integrati has received $157 million in contracts from the Italian Ministry of Defense and NATO.
Under one award, Selex Sistemi Integrati -- as prime contractor -- will enhance protection at forward operating bases in Afghanistan by delivering surveillance integrated systems, including man-portable LYRA10 radar and electro-optical sensors.
Also to be provided under the contract from the Italian Ministry of Defense, is building command and surveillance posts, surveillance systems for airport areas, camera-integrated systems for the internal surveillance of entrances to posts and FOBs, robotic systems in "combat" version manufactured by Oto Melara for the protection of the bases and acoustic systems to detect the origin of incoming fire.
Selex Sistemi Integrati will also be responsible for the transport, installation in site and the integration and management of all the systems.
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The Italian Defense Ministry, in a separate award, also contracted the company to strengthen the operational capabilities of the company's command-and-control system used by Italian forces in Afghanistan to provide for increased efficiency and greater interoperability with command-and-control systems used by other members of the International Security Assistance Force in the country.
Selex Sistemi Integrati said Italian army's C2 system will enable rapid deployment of troops and supplies even in adverse weather.
The contract includes provisions for on-site training of personnel and remote support.
Additional awards from the Ministry of Defense provide for the maintenance of the Italian army's management and information system and development of a Net-centric communications system for data transmission.
The company said an award from the NATO Helicopter Management Agency calls for Selex Sistemi Integrati to develop a new mission planning system for A129 combat helicopters and a technology upgrade to the mission planning system used by NH90 tactical transport helicopters used by the Italian army.
The new system and the upgrade will allow enhanced management of flight plans.
Logistic support services are included in the award.
Selex Sistemi Integrati is part of Finmeccanica.
Another Finmeccanica company, AgustaWestland, is providing the Italian navy with a mission planning and analysis system NH90 NFH medium twin naval helicopters.
The contact, from the NATO Helicopter Management Agency, will foster inter-operability with other NATO militaries.
AgustaWestland said the MPAS, which will be fully operational with the Italian navy by the end of next year, is based on its Skyflight planning system used by helicopter fleets of the Netherlands and Britain.
Skyflight has also been delivered to the New Zealand air force for planning missions of its AW109 LUH helicopters.
