Saab sells Camps

By Leon Engelbrecht, ITWeb senior writer

Johannesburg, 23 Sept 2008

Saab has had two successful sales of its Civil Aircraft Missile Protection System (Camps) that protects civil aircraft against ground-launched missiles. The system was developed in SA.

Saab Avitronics CEO Bjorn Erman says Naturelink Aviation, which helped develop the system, has also become the launch customer. The identity of the second customer is classified. No value was given for either deal and no sales values were disclosed.

Naturelink flies missions in support of aid organisations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and are fitting Camps to their Embraer 120 aircraft.

"This contract is a breakthrough on the market and an important step in our Camps programme," adds Erman.

He notes that the threat to aircraft from terrorists using man portable air defence systems (MANPADS) "is an unfortunate reality in the world today".

Saab estimates there are more than 100 000 of these shoulder-fired heat seeking surface-to-air missile launchers on the black market.

Their small size, easy operation and low cost make MANPADS the most serious threat to civil aircraft in the world today, in the hands of terrorists wiling to use them.

In the last 15 years, 35 attempts have been made to shoot down civilian aircraft, of which 24 have been successful.

The targets have mostly been transport and VIP types of commercial aviation.

Saab Avitronics countermeasures are already installed on military aircraft all over the world and Saab is one of the leading providers of military airborne countermeasure systems in the world.

The Camps design has a heavy emphasis on safety and minimal operational costs, which led Saab to select Chemring's pyrophoric technology and electromechanical dispensing.

The system is designed to meet civilian safety requirements and allows for civil certification. It is compliant with the Wassenaar agreement. An aircraft equipped with Camps has no restrictions when it comes to export regulations.

The system meets civilian safety requirements by use of a new type of electromechanical decoy dispenser and a new type of decoy.

The decoy dispenser is activated by an electro-optical Missile Approach Warning System (MAW), which detects any missile launched towards the aircraft during take-off and landing, being the crucial phases of the flight from protection point of view. Also, the system is designed for civilian maintenance requirements.

Erman says Camps is a completely modular solution that can be adapted to different aircraft sizes and operational requirements.