AMS has received an order of US $1.3M from BAE Systems, in support of SIKA International (a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems) for technology maturation and evaluation for FCS. This effort continues development of the Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA) mission equipment package from the Tactical Reconnaissance Armoured Combat Requirement (TRACER)/Future Scout and Cavalry System (FSCS) Technology Demonstrator.
The AMS contract is to enhance and mature the suite of software known as APECCS (Advanced Platform Equipment Command and Control System) to provide additional crew capability and improved operational performance.
APECCS was originally developed for the TRACER/FSCS programme which was an international joint development programme between the Governments of United Kingdom and the United States established to develop a Replacement Armoured Reconnaissance System.
APECCS provides the crew with the ability to control and manage the acquisition, assessment and dissemination of target information gathered from the battlefield. Information is presented to the commander and crew stations in the form of real time video streams overlaid with tactical symbology depicting sensor tracking activity or in the form of target lists which can be manipulated and filtered prior to distribution within the digitised battlefield.
When integrated into the SIKA demonstration vehicle the APECCS subsystem will interface to the L-M Snake Eyes sensor suite. The elevated sensor suite with a Comanche Horizontal Technology Insertion (HTI) FLIR system and advanced radar capabilities provides the Scout with an elevated mast capable of on-the-move 360 degree, long-range high fidelity electro-optical capability.
An additional advanced radar system will be matured and separately integrated into the system to demonstrate improved crew capabilities resulting from EO and RF "fused" data and target information.
The culmination of the contract will be a three-week exercise to provide test, demonstrations, and an evaluation exercise at Yuma Proving Grounds, in Arizona, USA to demonstrate the robustness of the integration and packaging of the elevated sensor suite with rapid area search and ATD/ATR capabilities. The accomplishments of this programme provide the potential to be leveraged some of the government investment and four years of technical vehicle and RSTA technology maturity from the FSCS/TRACER, PD/ATD program into the Future Combat Systems (FCS) programme in the US and Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) programme in the UK.
“During field trials at Fort Carson last summer, the UK Joint Programme Manager referred to the SIKA TRACER/FSCS system and it’s technologies as one of the most mature transformational systems available,” said Ken McGinty, programme director for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “The maturation phase is timely, allowing the Army to really evaluate using the system’s capability and how they want to proceed with this technology.”
AMS is an equal shares joint venture between FINMECCANICA of Italy and BAE Systems of the UK. AMS is a multi-national electronic systems company specialising in the design, manufacture and supply of radar and mission critical command, control and management systems to defence forces and air traffic management authorities throughout the world. It employs 7,400 people, has a turnover in excess of 1.2bn Euros with a healthy order book of 3.3bn Euros which underpins its ambitious growth plans for the next four years. AMS has an established customer base in over 100 countries.
