Northrop Grumman has approached the Czech Republic's AOP defence industry association seeking local partners for its bid for the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) project.
The Northrop Grumman-led Transatlantic Industrial Proposed Solution (TIPS) team includes EADS, Galileo Avionica and Thales.
AOP president Jirí Hynek says the US company has shown interest in ERA's passive Vera electronic intelligence (ELINT) and surveillance system. ERA says Vera, unlike conventional ELINT systems, can track passively detected targets.
He adds that the second consortium, lead by Raytheon teamed with BAE Systems, has not approached any Czech manufacturers. Raytheon is proposing a variant of the ASTOR system in development for the UK.
Hynek says Czech companies will probably supply components once the initial development phase is completed.
Pardubice-based ERA is part owned by Thales and specialises in air traffic management surveillance radar as well as military surveillance systems.
Source: Flight International
