Post by FaLcOn on Apr 18, 2004 20:03:13 GMT 2
Something i found in my mailbox...
BRUSSELS, April 16 (Reuters) - A consortium led by European aerospace firm
EADS <EADS.PA> has won a contract to supply NATO with a multi-billion dollar
surveillance system using aircraft, unmanned drones and ground systems, the
alliance said on Friday.
The deal, said by industry sources to be worth up to 4.0 billion euros ($4.9
billion), was approved by national armaments directors of North Atlantic
Treaty Organisation (NATO) states.
The alliance said in a statement that the aim was to sign a contract by
spring 2005.
"This NATO-owned and operated core...will be essential enabling capability
for the NATO Response Force and will provide ...an invaluable 'Eye in the Sky',"
it said.
The system would gather information on what was happening on the ground
during peacetime, crisis or war, it added.
The EADS group included Northrop Grumman <NOC.N>, General Dynamics Canada
<GD.N>, French defence firm Thales <TCFP.PA>, Spain's Indra <IDR.MC> and Italy's
Galileo Avionica <SIFI.MI>.
The NATO programme, dubbed Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS), is expected to
enter service in 2010.
"We are pleased with this decision," a spokesman for EADS in Munich said. He
declined to give financial details but said further information would be
released next week.
Raytheon <RTN.N> had led a rival consortium. "We are waiting for a debriefing
from NATO," said a spokeswoman for the U.S. group, declining to comment
further on NATO's announcement.
Raytheon's partners included Siemens <SIEGn.DE> and Alenia Marconi Systems
(AMS) -- a joint venture between Britain's BAE Systems <BA.L> and Italy's
Finmeccanica <SIFI.MI>.
Its bid aimed to use Bombardier's <BBDb.TO> Global Express business jet as a
platform while the EADS bid would use the larger Airbus A321 planes.
The industry sources had said on Thursday the EADS bid was worth about four
billion euros and they expected a deal to be signed in May.
NATO said the EADS consortium had offered a mix of manned and unmanned air
platforms, with interoperable ground stations.
"This major decision by Alliance nations is a significant step forward on the
road towards realising this urgently required, operationally essential
capability for NATO," the alliance added.
(Additional reporting by Hans Nagl in Munich and Jason Neely in London)
greets, FaLcOn
BRUSSELS, April 16 (Reuters) - A consortium led by European aerospace firm
EADS <EADS.PA> has won a contract to supply NATO with a multi-billion dollar
surveillance system using aircraft, unmanned drones and ground systems, the
alliance said on Friday.
The deal, said by industry sources to be worth up to 4.0 billion euros ($4.9
billion), was approved by national armaments directors of North Atlantic
Treaty Organisation (NATO) states.
The alliance said in a statement that the aim was to sign a contract by
spring 2005.
"This NATO-owned and operated core...will be essential enabling capability
for the NATO Response Force and will provide ...an invaluable 'Eye in the Sky',"
it said.
The system would gather information on what was happening on the ground
during peacetime, crisis or war, it added.
The EADS group included Northrop Grumman <NOC.N>, General Dynamics Canada
<GD.N>, French defence firm Thales <TCFP.PA>, Spain's Indra <IDR.MC> and Italy's
Galileo Avionica <SIFI.MI>.
The NATO programme, dubbed Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS), is expected to
enter service in 2010.
"We are pleased with this decision," a spokesman for EADS in Munich said. He
declined to give financial details but said further information would be
released next week.
Raytheon <RTN.N> had led a rival consortium. "We are waiting for a debriefing
from NATO," said a spokeswoman for the U.S. group, declining to comment
further on NATO's announcement.
Raytheon's partners included Siemens <SIEGn.DE> and Alenia Marconi Systems
(AMS) -- a joint venture between Britain's BAE Systems <BA.L> and Italy's
Finmeccanica <SIFI.MI>.
Its bid aimed to use Bombardier's <BBDb.TO> Global Express business jet as a
platform while the EADS bid would use the larger Airbus A321 planes.
The industry sources had said on Thursday the EADS bid was worth about four
billion euros and they expected a deal to be signed in May.
NATO said the EADS consortium had offered a mix of manned and unmanned air
platforms, with interoperable ground stations.
"This major decision by Alliance nations is a significant step forward on the
road towards realising this urgently required, operationally essential
capability for NATO," the alliance added.
(Additional reporting by Hans Nagl in Munich and Jason Neely in London)
greets, FaLcOn
;D