MoD places £35m order

The UK

(MoD) has awarded

contracts worth an initial £35m to provide long-term in-service support for the Royal Navy’s Trafalgar, Vanguard, and Astute-class periscope systems.

Under the terms of the contracts, Thales’ optronics facility in Glasgow will provide specialised skills and facilities to ensure optimal through-life capability management of the periscope systems. The contracts include design authority services, the provision of spares, modifications, field changes, refurbishments and engineering services.

The contracts, which include the Contracting For Availability (CFA) programme, build on existing support infrastructure.

The CFA programme is the result of Thales and the UK MoD adopting a partnering approach, with a joint In-Service Support Team (ISST) being established to ensure that CFA is managed and delivered successfully.

According to Thales, the CFA contract will guarantee increased availability through an initial five-year support agreement for periscopes and optronics masts for the RN's fleet of nuclear-powered and strategic submarines.

‘These contracts will make best use of both Thales’ specialised skills and the navy’s previous investment in infrastructure to ensure a cost-effective support solution,’ said Alex Cresswell, managing director of the Thales’ Land and Joint Systems business in the UK