Heerbrugg/Kongsberg, June 27th, 2024 – Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace AS (Kongsberg) and Safran Vectronix AG (Safran) have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) at Eurosatory in Paris to jointly work on the development of a laser rangefinding box for use in a variety of PROTECTOR remote weapon stations and turrets.
Safran and Kongsberg have a long lasting history with more than 15 years of collaboration. Now, the two companies reconfirm their relationship by joining forces to integrate a high performance laser rangefinding box for use with the PROTECTOR RWS and turrets both in Switzerland and internationally. Compared to todays laser range finding box, thanks to Safran’s fiber laser technology, the performance of the system will be doubled. Safran’s circle shaped beam allows extremely precise measurement of targets at a long distances whilst avoiding reflective noise from other objects. Compared to the previously delivered and now outdated rangefinding box the new design offers a wide span of capabilities and can be tailored to specific customer requirements, such as different pointers or other SAFRAN LRFs with even higher performance.Adrian Zwirner, Sales Director for Safran Vectronix OEM modules points out: “The idea is to have one single box for actual and future Kongsberg PROTECTOR fleets worldwide, offering up- and downstream compatibility with their systems. Existing customers can easily update their systems with a Safran drop-in replacement. The cooperation with Kongsberg will also be a major step ahead towards a more flexible and modular platform approach for our ULTISENSE module business at Safran Vectronix.”The production of the new box will be based in Switzerland, as part of Safran’s continued support of Kongsbergs’ offset activities. Further product enhancements are also part of the collaboration, supported by the flexibility of the Safran product line allowing for integration of additional new sensor modules into the laser rangefinding box enabling use of multiple sensors for different operational scenarios.
The initial deliveries of the next generation LRF box will be for customers in Europe already using the previous version. As a follow up the parties are working on integrating the laser range finding box with the PROTECTOR RWS and turrets for customers with high performance requirements, including but not limited to emerging requirements such as counter-UAV detection and identification. The parties ambition is to introduce the new laser range finding box in PROTECTOR markets world-wide. All over, volumes of more than 1’000 systems is a realistic target for the coming years.
About Kongberg Defence and Aerospace
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is Norway’s premier supplier of defence products and systems for command and control, surveillance, space, tactical communications, remote weapon stations and missiles systems. In addition, Kongsberg has extensive capabilities within advanced composite manufacturing and maintenance, repair and overhaul within the aircraft and helicopter market.
About Safran
Safran is an international high-technology group, operating in the aviation (propulsion, equipment and interiors), defense and space markets. Its core purpose is to contribute to a safer, more sustainable world, where air transport is more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Safran has a global presence, with 92,000 employees and sales of 23.2 billion euros in 2023 and holds, alone or in partnership, world or regional leadership positions in its core markets. Safran is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and is part of the CAC 40 and Euro Stoxx 50 indices.
Safran Vectronix AG, a subsidiary of Safran Electronics & Defense, is a global leader in the state-of-the-art optronic equipment, systems and sensors for military and civil applications. More than 100 years of Swiss tradition and excellence in optics and precision engineering are reflected in its products – dismounted targeting solutions, sensor modules for OEM partners and rangefinders for civil applications.
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