Naviris, Eurosam Bag €1.5B French, Italian Horizon Frigates Upgrade Contract

The European Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) has awarded Naviris and Eurosam a contract for the Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) of the French and Italian Horizon frigates.

The two co-contractors, Naviris and eurosam, will work with MBDA Italia, MBDA France and Thales for the new generation of Principal Anti-Air Missile System & Long-Range Radar (PAAMS & LRR) to be installed on the frigates.

The value of the contract for Naviris and Eurosam is €1.5 billion. With this upgrade, Horizon class frigates will receive a modernization of the entire vessel and the enhancement of their anti-warfare capabilities. New weapon systems and associated Command and Control, and electronic warfare suites will provide highest capabilities and performances against the most modern threats.

The new generation of PAAMS & LRR is a very significant upgrade and the system will be able to defeat the threats of the decade to come as missiles (hypersonic, ballistic, supersonic sea-skimmer, high velocity cruise), UAVs and highly maneuvering aircrafts, in a saturation attack scenario.

Eva Bruxmeier, Managing Director of Eurosam stated: “This new generation of PAAMS & LRR for the frigates, relies on an enhanced missile (ASTER Block 1 NT), an upgraded launcher, two new AESA radars (Kronos Grand Naval from Leonardo and SMART-L MM/N from Thales) and a new open software architecture command and control system.”