EADS technology supports security and cooperation capabilities on NATO missions
Ulm, 19 September 2001
EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company will play a leading role in equipping the Eurofighter combat aircraft with a sophisticated data transmission system.
As the company announced on Wednesday, the contract, worth over EUR 31 mill., for the delivery of key components for a first batch of the MIDS (Multifunctional Information Distribution System) communications system has been received by the EADS Systems and Defence Electronics Business Unit. The contract for the overall MIDS system - in which France, Spain and Italy are also involved - will be handled within the framework of the international consortium EuroMIDS.
"The MIDS programme is a good example of the top achievements which international cooperation can bring about when developing modern defence electronics" explains Stefan Zoller, Head of the Systems and Defence Electronics Business Unit. The MIDS systems, which operate to joint NATO standard Link 16 and are used for the purposes of data transmission, navigation and identification, are for the most part initially being installed on the Eurofighter. In the long term they are also planned for use on helicopters, naval ships and command posts in all the partner countries.
"MIDS enables the jamming-resistant transmission of large quantities of data in almost real time and, through this, the preparation of an exact situation picture. In this way, we decisively improve interoperability within NATO and also increase the security of our own forces during military missions," Johann Heitzmann, Head of the EADS Airborne Systems Unit, underlines.
EADS Airborne Systems is one of the leading defence electronics companies in Europe. It is involved in, amongst other things, the production of the Eurofighter radar "Captor", the German and French forces' IFF system "STR 2000" and the development of the ground surveillance radar SOSTAR and supplies self-defence systems and avionics equipment for the Tiger and NH90 helicopters.
With revenues of EUR 24.2 billion (2000) and 100,000 employees, EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company is the largest aerospace and defence company in Europe and ranked Number 2 in the world.
Ulm, 19 September 2001
Your point of contact:
EADS Systems & Defence Electronics
Lothar Belz
Tel.: +49 (0) 731 392 3681
Email: lothar.belz@sysde.eads.net
