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EADS to equip German Navy vessels in Lebanon with the latest identification systems

• Automatic identification of aircraft
• Avoidance of dangerous situations in crisis areas

Munich, 02 March 2007

EADS Defence & Security Systems (DS) will equip German naval vessels off the Lebanon’s coast with identification systems, which will help to avoid confrontations with unknown aircraft. The so-called IFF systems (IFF = Identification Friend or Foe) work on the basis of state-of-the-art digital and encryption technology in line with the latest Mode S identification process, which is intended to prevent critical situations through fast recognition of aircraft, as was the case with the ferry flights by the Israeli Air Force last year.

As the company announced on Friday, EADS Defence Electronics, the Avionics and Electronics House within DS, will deliver five MSSR 2000 I identification systems, which will be installed on the F123 frigate “Schleswig-Holstein” and on the high-speed S 143a patrol boats, in their home ports of Wilhelmshaven and Warnemünde, as well as in the operational area in Limassol/Cyprus. The vessels have the task of monitoring Lebanon’s coast and airspace as part of the UNIFIL UN peace mission in order to prevent arms smuggling. The systems were produced and fitted in the record time of approx. two months and in time for the beginning of operations in February.

“On account of the increasing complexity of combat situations and scenarios, both on the ground and in the air, identification is today an existential matter during all military operations,” explained Bernhard Gerwert, CEO of EADS Defence Electronics. “Only fast and reliable identification of one’s own and friendly forces can ensure that dangerous or even fatal incidents can be prevented.”

The identification systems, so-called MSSR 2000 I secondary radars, provide an overview of the air situation based on queries, that are in part transmitted in encrypted form, and automatic replies from the aircraft. This supplements the information previously supplied by primary radars and in this way improves monitoring of crisis regions. As a result accidental attacks on one’s own forces can be avoided.

EADS Defence Electronics is the company's Sensors, Avionics & Electronic Warfare House. It is part of the Defence & Security Systems (DS) division, a system solution provider. DS combines military air systems, missile systems, communications and intelligence systems, global security solutions as well as sensor and avionics systems into a single effective network. With 2005 revenues of € 5.6 billion, the Division employs 23,000.

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:

Lothar Belz
Tel.: +49 (0) 731.392.3681
mailto: lothar.belz@eads.com