Sea Viper Support Contract Awarded to MBDA

Sea Viper firing from HMS Daring in April 2011. (Photo: MBDA)

May 19, 2011 defpro.com

MBDA has been awarded a £165M contract to provide the support for Sea Viper, the Royal Navy’s latest and most modern weapon system. Sea Viper is a world leading area air defence missile system that equips the Type 45 Destroyer and was successfully fired from HMS Dauntless in September 2010 and most recently in April 2011 from HMS DARING. MBDA will ensure the availability of the complete Sea Viper system for the T45 Class for a period of six years.

The Project Availability Support Service – Sea Viper (PASS-SV) contract is the first support contract let under the Through Life Enabling Contract signed in April 2010 between the MoD and MBDA that established a new partnering approach on Complex Weapons between both parties.

Team work will be an important contributor to delivering Sea Viper’s availability. MBDA is working closely with its subcontractors BAE SYSTEMS Maritime (Mission Systems) and DM Gosport on supporting Sea Viper. BAE SYSTEMS Maritime (Mission Systems) is providing the support services for the Multi Function Radar. DM Gosport is responsible for the out-loading of munitions to the Type 45 Class and for processing them at a new Munition Maintenance Facility (MMF) located in Gosport. The MMF is a four year development that will allow the UK to have an indigenous test and repair capability for the Aster Munition and is the subject of a separate procurement.

The PASS-SV contract will also benefit from the synergies associated with the common Aster Munition and the Vertical Launch System (VLS) under the French-Italian FSAF (Future Surface-to-Air Family) programme. That programme is managed via the European Defence procurement agency OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’ARmement).

The Sea Viper system on board the Royal Navy’s Type 45 Destroyers consists of up to 48 Aster Munitions, the Sylver Vertical Launcher System, MBDA’s Command and Control equipment and software and the Sampson Multi Function Radar.