Finmeccanica Will Guarantee Security in Panama
Finmeccanica has been awarded contracts worth approximately EUR 180 million from Ministerio delle Seguridad Publica of Panama.
Under the agreement, Finmeccanica companies will develop a national security and surveillance system involving the implementation of a coastal monitoring and control system by SELEX Sistemi Integrati and the supply of six AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters in various configurations for the Panamanian National Aeronaval Service. In addition, Telespazio, through its subsidiary company Telespazio Argentina, will provide the digital cartography of the whole country for the Tommy Guardia National Geographic Institute.
The orders are the result of a bilateral framework agreement for collaboration in the field of security associated with the fight against organised crime and drug-trafficking signed in June between the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, and the President of the Republic of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, at the summit of member countries of the Central American Integration System (SICA).
“This experience has a double value for the Finmeccanica Group”. Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, Chairman and CEO of Finmeccanica, commented. “It constitutes a reference model for the integration of systems and platforms built by the Group that will affect the entire Central and South American region and is one of the most advanced high-tech and commercial offer in the world in the area of border security and the fight against organised crime. Following on from the contract signed a few days ago in Libya, this new agreement confirms the effectiveness of our strategy in relation to emerging markets.”
Panama Coasts Surveillance
SELEX Sistemi Integrati, a Finmeccanica company will provide a maritime surveillance system for the Panama coasts. The coastal control and monitoring system, which will be available for the Aero naval National Service of Panama (SENAN), will be delivered within 33 months from the contract subscription.
The company will supply a national control centre made of 16 consoles, which will receive data from the 18 Lyra 50 radars, also provided together with eight regional centres, each one made of six controller working positions. In addition the contract includes the realization of the necessary civil works which will be made by local enterprises. The supply will be completed by a communication system which will interconnect the radar sites, the local centres and the national centre, and allow information exchange among naval units and the control centres.
RADAR LYRA 50 SERIES – VTS APPLICATIONS
The radar LYRA 50 series is the most recent system completely designed and developed by Selex-SI for Vessel Traffic Service and Coastline Surveillance applications.
LYRA 50 has the following capabilities:
• Detection of steady or moving vessels and boats (Detection Range 48 km)
• High spatial resolution which provides rejection of unwanted background echoes and ensures the required system sensitivity
it employs fully solid state technology and very powerful digital processing boards using proprietary state of art algorithms which allow the following improvements with respect to existing radars:
• low transmitting peak power
• low voltage supply
• high compactness
• high reliability
• capability of frequency diversity transmission on multiple frequencies
LYRA 50 is a coherent radar and can control and track the frequency and phase characteristics of the transmitted waveform. Wideband Frequency Modulation (WFM) is used
Frequency diversity is performed by using a Digital Frequency Synthesizer to generate waveforms.
Pulse compression is performed digitally; this technique allows accuratedesign of the compressed pulse.
The joint use of frequency modulation and pulse compression allows to use low peak power long pulses.
A proprietary side lobe suppression algorithm is used to reduce the pulse compression range side lobe; its time stability at different environmental conditions is also obtained by means of state of art calibration algorithms.
Finally frequency diversity improves the sensor coverage by reducing the fluctuation of the target echo and decreasing the range and time correlation of the clutter returns. The performance improvement is obtained by integrating multiple different frequency pulses.
AW139 Helicopters
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce the signing of a contract by the Government of Panama for six AW139 medium twin engine helicopters. The contract also includes pilot and maintainer conversion to type training. Four aircraft will be equipped to perform a wide range of national and public security roles, one will be used for utility missions and the last aircraft will be used to transport senior government officials and other VIPs.
Emilio Dalmasso, Senior VP Commercial Business Unit, AgustaWestland said after the signing of the contract “We are delighted that the AW139 has been selected by the Government of Panama for this important requirement. This latest endorsement by the Government of Panama is further recognition that the AW139 continues to be the outright leader in its class.”
The two powerful PT6C-67C turboshaft engines, each producing 1,252 kW (1,679 shp) give the AW139 class leading performance with a maximum cruise speed of 167 knots (310 km/h). The aircraft has a range of over 1000 km or an endurance of over 5 hours with auxiliary fuel, making it ideal for long range transport and for border patrol missions. The cockpit features the latest technology including a Honeywell Primus Epic(r) fully integrated avionics system, a 4-axis digital Automatic Flight Control System and large flat panel colour displays – reducing pilot workload and allowing the crew to concentrate on the mission.
Source : Finmeccanica
