NOVEMBER 4--Primagraphics (Charlottesville, VA; www.primagraphics.net), a command and control, video, and graphics specialist, has won a record L2.8 million (US$4.4 million) contract from Alenia Marconi Systems (AMS; Farlington, Portsmouth, England; www.aleniamarconisystems.com) to supply radar input and scan converter systems. Primagraphics' equipment will be integrated by engineers at AMS with the new flat-panel displays, processor, and software that will be fitted to the command-and-control consoles on-board every one of the British Royal Navy's fleet of Type 42 destroyers. The first ship to be upgraded with the new equipment will be HMS Gloucester.
Alenia Marconi Systems was awarded the latest L13.5 million (US$21.5 million) Action Data Automated Weapon System (ADAWS) upgrade contract by the UK Ministry of Defence in June 2002. The ADAWS command-and-control system is combat proven in anti-air warfare, fighter control, missile direction, naval gunfire support, and antisubmarine warfare. The new upgraded equipment will provide the Royal Navy with modern color display systems in every console, delivering significantly improved functionality at a substantially reduced maintenance cost.
Primagraphics will be supplying AMS with PCI hardware and software from its established commercial-off-the-shelf METRO product range, including its Advantage Plus PCI radar scan converter and its Virgo PCI radar input card. Shipments will start before the end of 2002 and will be completed by July 2004.
