Airborne Systems wins RNZN decoy contract

Airborne Systems Europe will supply the FDS3 decoy system to the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) under a £3.4 million three-year contract with the New Zealand Ministry of Defence (MoD), the company has announced.

The FDS3 corner reflector decoys will be fitted onto RNZN frigates as part of the ANZAC class Frigate Systems Upgrade (FSU) project.

The decoys provide countermeasure protection against advanced RF-seeking missiles and supersonic threats. The decoy system is comprised of a deck-mounted launch tube preloaded with the decoy. When fired the decoy automatically inflates alongside the ship’s hull on the sea surface, before being released and free floating past the stern to draw threats away from the vessel.

Chris Rowe, president, Airborne Systems Europe, said: ‘The New Zealand MoD has identified the capability that the FDS3 can provide against the proliferation of advanced missile threats that are emerging globally. The award of this contract is a proud achievement for Airborne Systems.

‘This contract further confirms the position of Airborne Systems as the world leader in naval corner reflector anti-missile decoy technology. This contract follows on from the success of the $41.7m US Navy contract in 2013. In addition to providing protection for the forces of our allies, it sustains high-quality jobs in the UK, and more particularly in south Wales.’
 
Gary Collier, FSU project director for the New Zealand MoD, added: ‘We are delighted to have negotiated this contract, and the FSU project team is very much looking forward to working with Airborne over the next few years. We’re proud to be the first customer outside of the UK and US, for this generation of the system, and believe the decoys provide an important adjunct to the overall anti-ship missile defence capability of our frigates and I know the RNZN is very pleased to be getting the FDS3 system.’