A contract for the provision of 186 Thermal Surveillance Systems was signed between Defence and Thales Optronics Limited (UK) today.
The Thermal Surveillance Systems (TSS) will provide a significant enhancement to the surveillance capabilities of Defence, providing a 24-hour detection and recognition capability that can operate through dust and smoke encountered in the battlefield environment.
The main component of the system is the TASMAN Thermal Imager, developed by Thales Optronique in Paris, which is a device that detects minute differences in temperature between the various objects in a scene and presents a real time picture of that information to an operator.
The TSS system also includes a Laser Rangefinder and an Angulation Head to provide a total target location capability.
Australian industry, through Tenix Defence Systems in South Australia, will play a major role in the contract being responsible for design and manufacture of the system Power Management equipment and the crucial Data Interfacing system which ties the various elements of the system together.
Tenix is also responsible for systems integration and final testing of the system before its delivery to Defence.
The $A39.5 million contract is the fourth in a series of acquisitions under Project Ninox (named after the nocturnal Australian hunting owl) with previous acquisitions involving Perimeter Surveillance Equipment, Night Fighting Equipment and Ground Surveillance Radars. The first two of these are already in service with Defence.
A variant of the TSS equipment has already been supplied by Thales Optronics to support operations in East Timor.
Initial deliveries of equipment to undergo operational testing are due in early 2002, with all deliveries to be completed by the end of 2003.
