German defense electronics company HENSOLDT has been awarded a €15 million contract by the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) to further develop the Optarion mission support system. According to the company, the ground station is designed to integrate military helicopters and airborne platforms into the armed forces’ digital command and control networks without requiring modifications to the aircraft.
HENSOLDT press release:
BAAINBw commissions the next phase of development for the ground station, which integrates aerial platforms into the Bundeswehr’s digital command and control network without the need for modification
HENSOLDT has signed a further development contract for the Optarion mission support system (EUA).
The customer is the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw).
The contract, worth 15 million euros, continues the further development of the ground station, which links command and control information systems – including the Bundeswehr’s Battle Management System (BMS) – with the Army’s airborne platforms.
Alex Irmscher, Programme Manager for Ground Stations at HENSOLDT, said: “With Optarion, we integrate both existing and new platforms into the digital command and control network without requiring any modifications to the aircraft. The new contract allows us to consistently further develop this capability for the Army, the Air Force and our international users.”
The EUA forms the interface between command and control information systems and aircraft platforms. As a ground station, it supports the Tiger, NH90 and CH-53GA helicopters whilst simultaneously integrating them into the armed forces’ networked tactical information network.
In line with the Software-Defined Defence (SDD) approach, aircraft already in service can participate in this structure without the need to adapt their configuration. This reduces effort and costs whilst increasing operational flexibility.
Last year, HENSOLDT released two EUA versions, including an updated IT platform for the Bundeswehr, thereby taking a further step towards operational readiness. The latest version supports the KHT (Tiger combat helicopter) “Bootes” and KHT “MR3+” configurations, thereby expanding the aircraft’s operational capabilities and interoperability.
Using the same version, HENSOLDT has already delivered an international configuration in the form of an MPGS (Mission Planning Ground Station) to an unnamed customer within NATO. At the end of the year, a decision was also made to award a follow-up contract for the ground station to the same customer.
This collaboration underlines the company’s commitment to NATO’s eastern flank and demonstrates that the Optarion product family is also in demand internationally.