Leonardo To Upgrade Eurofighter Typhoon With Defensive Aids Sub System

Leonardo has won a £40 million contract to improve the defence of the Typhoon aircraft by upgrading its Defensive Aids Sub System (DASS).

The two-year contract, which includes capability work by Leonardo, integration activities by BAE Systems and Ministry of Defence trials, will see the Typhoon’s 'Praetorian' DASS upgraded in order to meet the UK Air Force’s future operational requirements, the company announced Friday.

Praetorian is a suite of protective electronic systems installed inside the Typhoon, which includes sensors and countermeasures, that seamlessly work together to defend the jets from a variety of threats.

Leonardo leads the EuroDASS consortium (which also includes HENSOLDT, Elettronica and Indra) to provide the Praetorian system, which is a baseline system on the more than 500 Eurofighter Typhoons delivered to date.

A majority of the UK’s new capability enhancement contract will be carried out by Leonardo at its electronic warfare centre in Luton, UK, while integration work and airworthiness clearances will be carried out by the UK’s Typhoon prime contractor BAE Systems in Warton, UK.

Leonardo provides more than 60 percent of the avionics for the Typhoon, including leading the consortia responsible for providing the aircraft’s radar and infrared search and track (IRST) system.

The company is responsible for around 36% of the Typhoon’s overall programme value, which includes parts of the aircraft’s structure, avionics and on-board electronics. In a further technology development, Leonardo is currently leading the EuroRADAR consortium in the development of the Captor-E (E-Scan) radar for Typhoon.

The new AESA radar will further enhance the capability of the aircraft by providing a 60 percent wider field of regard. Kuwait will be the first Typhoon operator to receive the new radar, in line with initial deliveries to the nation.