LM Canada Seeks Sales Of Naval Combat System In Future

Canada's Lockheed Martin has future plans of selling naval combat system to South America and Europe, designed as part of the modernization program for the nation's frigates.

 

Work is underway on the first export sale of the combat management system to the Royal New Zealand Navy.

 

The installation in the first frigate to begin here in 2016, said Lockheed Martin Canada officials.

 

Contract worth CAN $180 million (US $165 million) was awarded in May for the modernization of two Anzac-class frigates.

 

But the company is also targeting other markets for the naval combat management system, said Don McClure, Lockheed Martin Canada's vice president of business development.

 

There are a number of opportunities in both South America and Europe that we have identified and we have been meeting with those navies in recent months, he added.

 

He also confirmed that the company is also examining a potential bid on a program to modernize Greece's Meko200 frigates. Greece has decided to modernize the four German-designed ships as part of a mid-life upgrade to extend their service life to around 2030.

 

The Meko200, called the Hydra-class by Greece, is also the basis for New Zealand's Anzac-class frigates. Similar ships are also operated by Australia, Turkey, Portugal, South Africa and Algeria. Lockheed Martin Canada sees nations operating such ships as potential future markets.

 

But McClure said the company has to first carefully examine the Greek program. "We're interested in that and there's obviously a process we go through internally in determining what their requirements are and what we're prepared to offer is enough to give us a significant probability of winning,"