FINANCING for Brazil's SIVAM Amazon-surveillance programme has been released, enabling Raytheon to begin work on the $1.3 billion programme.
The US Export Import Bank is providing just over $1 billion of the funds required for the project, with the Swedish export bank Svensk Exportkredit, Raytheon and SIVAM Vendor Trust providing the balance.
The SIVAM network of ground-based and airborne radars, satellite-based sensors, environmental monitors and weather radars will provide information to regional and national co-ordination centres for purposes including environmental protection, border surveillance, air-traffic-control and combating illegal activity in the vast Amazon basin.
The system will be installed over five years, with a large part of the sensors and the Manaus regional centre to be operational within three years.
Raytheon is prime contractor for the programme, with Embraer supplying EMB-145 regional jets, to be equipped with Ericsson's Erieye surveillance radars, and ANTECH serving as the Brazilian system integrator.
Source: Flight International
