McMurdo awarded UK SAR upgrade contract
McMurdo has been awarded a contract by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to enhance its search and rescue (SAR) satellite technology, the company announced on 2 March.
The upgrades will enable the MCA to operate with the new Medium-altitude Earth Orbit Search and Rescue (MEOSAR) satellites. The contract includes one year installation and training, followed by an additional three years of service and support.
The company will install Medium Earth Orbit Local User Terminals (MEOLUT) and upgrade ground stations that operate on the GEOSAR and LEOSAR satellite constellations.
Richard Parkes, director of maritime operations, said: ‘The MCA continually seek opportunities to further advance our SAR service delivery and reputation.
‘McMurdo’s MEOSAR-enabled mission control centre and ground stations will provide the highest calibre technology and performance to support our SAR personnel, enabling us to provide mariners in distress with better response operations to save even more lives.’
More from Naval Warfare
-
Five years on: where could opportunities emerge next for AUKUS Pillar II?
Payload commonality, combat systems and electronic warfare are emerging as likely priorities as the trilateral partnership balances building submarines with sharing industrial ecosystems.
-
From the Baltic to the Gulf: where USV procurement is heading next
Saildrone’s new Copenhagen base is one sign of a larger shift, as navies globally turn to uncrewed vessels for surveillance and mine clearance.
-
Quantum sensing gathers pace as navies eye undersea advantage
As AI dominates defence conversations, industry increasingly points to quantum sensing as the technology set to change submarine and uncrewed underwater vehicle operations.