Lockheed Martin [LMT] U.K.-led Team Athena has signed a $198 million contract with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the Land Environment Air Picture Provision (LEAPP) situation awareness program.
LEAPP is expected to give ground commanders decision-quality data in near real-time that they can use to coordinate, plan and strike effectively, the company said April 2. By improving situational awareness, it reduces the chances of friendly fire incidents and ensures commanders get the most from their available equipment. The core capability is integrated into a truck, so it can move around the battlefield.
The award comes after a two-year assessment phase during which the Lockheed Martin team proved the strength and capability of its solution, including providing a version of LEAPP to the MoD as an Urgent Operational Requirement. Systems will be delivered starting in 2010 under the contract.
Steve Wyatt, Joint Sensor and Engagement Networks Integrated Project Team Leader, said: “LEAPP is a significant step forward in the arena of Network Enabled Capability. By effective fusing of the right data and ensuring it is presented rapidly and in the right usable format to the people who really need it, LEAPP provides a step-change in the level of situational awareness.”
For Team Athena, Lockheed Martin UK–INSYS Managing Director Stephen Ball, said, “LEAPP draws together information from a variety of sources to provide troops on the ground with a precise and timely picture of what is going on in the air. By sharing this information quickly, securely and accurately LEAPP will have huge implications for the way future battles are fought.”
Mike Trotsky, vice president Air & Missile Defense for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said LEAPP expands the company’s global partnerships. “We anticipate the LEAPP capability to deliver modern integrated situational awareness will be a key building block in Air and Missile Defense systems of the future.”
LEAPP works with the Saab Giraffe Agile Multi-Beam Radar on the ground and Link 16 in the air and other sources to create a comprehensive picture of the air component.
Team Athena is led by Lockheed Martin and includes BAE Systems, L-3 [LLL], Systems Consultants Services Limited, Saab AB, Rockwell Collins [COL], and QinetiQ.