Selex Galileo has won a £200 million ($317 million) contract from BAE Systems to supply 88 mechanically scanned Captor radars to equip Tranche 3A examples of the Eurofighter Typhoon for Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

Announced on 5 October, the contract will ensure continued production of the Captor until an active electronically scanned array antenna becomes available for operational use from 2015. The four Eurofighter partner nations approved the development of the E-Captor radar in July, with development work under way.

"As a key partner of the Eurofighter programme we are strongly committed to delivering the best technology on the market, ensuring that the aircraft continues to meet the most stringent operational requirements," says Selex Galileo chief executive Steve Mogford.

RAF Eurofighter lands - Crown Copyright
 © Crown Copyright

Equipment deliveries are due to start in 2012 under the new award, with the work to be performed by the company and its Euroradar consortium partners Cassidian Electronics (formerly EADS Defence Electronics) and Indra.

Although Eurofighter's Tranche 3A contract covers the production of 112 aircraft, the new radar order will only provide 88 sensors. The others were ordered previously, and will equip replacement Typhoons for the Royal Air Force, which had 24 of its Tranche 2 aircraft diverted for delivery to the Royal Saudi Air Force.

Selex Galileo says more than 400 Captor M radars have been delivered so far, with the systems also integrated on Typhoons for export customers Austria and Saudi Arabia.

BAE also last month gave the Selex Galileo-led EuroDASS consortium a roughly £400 million contract to deliver Praetorian self-protection equipment for Tranche 3A Eurofighters.

Source: Flight International