BRITISH AEROSPACE and Orbital Sciences have received a $4.5 million contract to provide mission-planning services for the UK Royal Air Force's Sepecat Jaguar fleet. Orbital's Fairchild division is teamed with British Aerospace (Systems and Equipment) (BASE) for the programme, part of an overall Jaguar upgrade.
Dulles, Virginia-based Orbital will supply its Fairchild Defense Modular Mission Support System (MMSS) for the programme. The MMSS software allows real-time fly-through mission simulation, smart-weapons planning, threat analysis, route optimisation, and transfer of mission data to the Jaguar computer via cartridge.
Orbital, meanwhile, has been selected to upgrade data-transfer equipment on US Air Force Fairchild A-10s. The equipment consists of Fairchild's upgraded data-transfer unit, with improved processor throughput and input/ output capability, and a data-transfer cartridge combining mass memory with an embedded digital signal-processor.
The upgraded data-transfer cartridge is compatible with the USAF's Lockheed Martin mission-support system and will be used to load the operational flight-program into the A-10's avionics. It is already in use on Lockheed Martin F-16s and RAF Jaguars.
Source: Flight International