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Deployable EADS combat operations centre for air defence enters into service with the German Air Force

* Military air surveillance and tactical command and control of air force units now possible at any location
* EADS integrates combat operations centre electronics for national and multinational mobile operations

Ulm, 21 August 2006

For the first time, the German Air Force has at its disposal a Deployable Control & Reporting Centre (DCRC) for the military surveillance of airspace and for the tactical command and control of air force units. The high-performance, largely autonomous system was officially commissioned on Saturday by the Federal Minister of Defence, Dr. Franz Josef Jung, and the Chief of Staff, Air Force, Lieutenant General Klaus-Peter Stieglitz, as part of the celebrations held at the Rostock-Laage air base to mark “50 years of the Luftwaffe.” The DCRC was developed jointly by EADS and Frequentis GmbH, Vienna, on behalf of the Federal Office for Information Management and Information Technology (IT-AmtBw).

"This system offers an enormous increase in capability for the air forces – both for international operations and network enhanced capabilities. We are proud that we can use the DCRC to efficiently support the German Air Force in its transformation process," said Stefan Zoller, the EADS Executive Committee member responsible for the company's defence and security business.

Thanks to the DCRC, a deployable combat operations centre will be added to the four stationary Control & Reporting Centres (CRCs) already in service in Germany. The system represents the integration of the technology for operational command and control, communication, data acquisition and distribution into the current thirteen air-conditioned containers. Three of these containers hold the computer technology plus the radio transmission and reception equipment, while the rest are workstation containers. The combat operations centre can be used either in its entirety or in modules tailored to a given mission. Because it can be carried on various means of transport, it fully meets the current requirements for mobility of military systems.

EADS is responsible for equipping the workstations and for the operations centre electronics GIADS II (GIADS = German Improved Air Defence System), while the communications equipment required for the DCRC was supplied by Frequentis. GIADS II assists the user in the tactical command and control of aircraft and air defence units by evaluating the information provided by military and civil radar sources. The software assists the operators in the task of generating an accurate presentation of the air situation. Specific incidents are announced via an alarm system so that countermeasures can be initiated rapidly and effectively. Tactical datalinks connect the system to the NATO Integrated Air Defence. Flight plan and radar data from civil air traffic control are also fed into the system. During operation, all the data can be recorded for time-displaced replay and analysis as required. A simulation function is provided for the purposes of operator training.

Over the last few years EADS has already delivered two GIADS II air surveillance systems to the German Air Force for use in the stationary CRCs. To ensure that the DCRC is capable of serving as a mobile combat operations centre in international missions, it contains an integrated interface for the exchange of air situation data with the Airborne Early Warning & Control system (E-3A). This makes the system ideal for the tactical command and control of air force units in multinational as well as joint and combined operations.

Additional functionality and increases in capacity are planned. In this way, the DCRC will be capable of command and control of various weapon systems drawn from the entire spectrum – an important contribution towards network enhanced capabilities of armed forces.

Defence and Communications Systems (DCS) is the Systems House of EADS and is an integrated part of the EADS Defence & Security Systems Division (DS).

With revenues of about € 5.6 billion in 2005 and roughly 23,000 employees across nine nations, the EADS Defence & Security Systems Division (DS) forms the defence and security pillar within EADS. As a Large Systems Integrator, DS offers integrated system solutions to the new challenges confronting armed forces and global security. It is active in the areas of manned and unmanned integrated combat and mission air systems, including related training systems, and in missile systems, battlefield management systems for all branches, global security solutions, secure networks, defence electronics, sensors and avionics as well as related services.

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2005, EADS generated revenues of € 34.2 billion and employed a workforce of about 113,000.

Contact:
Susanne Hartwein
Ulm
Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)731 392-1757
mailto: susanne.hartwein@eads.com