19:55 GMT, September 6, 2010 Luton | SELEX Galileo, a Finmeccanica Company, has been awarded a contract by BAE Systems worth circa £400M to supply the Praetorian Defensive Aids Sub System (DASS) in support of the Tranche 3A Eurofighter Typhoons.

Designed specifically for the Typhoon, the Praetorian DASS comprises Electronic Counter Measures (ECM), Electronic Support Measures (ESM) and Missile Approach Warning (MAW) elements. It provides an unmatched level of situational awareness and protection for Typhoon crews.

SELEX Galileo is the lead Contractor and system Design Authority for Praetorian. The Company leads the EuroDASS Consortium (made up of Elettronica, Indra Sistemas, EADS and SELEX Galileo) which shares the production of more than 20 major Line Replaceable Items (LRIs) that make up the Praetorian system.

The contract will see the first Praetorian delivery taking place in mid 2012. The systems will be supplied to all 4 partner nations; the UK, Italy, Spain and Germany.

Under this agreement, these Tranche 3A Praetorian systems shall be delivered to the same standard as those delivered for the Tranche 2 programme. The systems are provisioned with the capacity for future capability enhancements which are aligned to current and future customer needs.

“This contract award represents a significant achievement for the EuroDASS consortium and reflects the confidence that the partner nations and Typhoon crews place in the Praetorian system” said SELEX Galileo CEO Steve Mogford, adding “I’m proud that the relationships we’ve developed with our consortium partners, customers and end users have resulted in such a successful, effective and life-saving system”.

SELEX Galileo is a key partner in the Eurofighter Typhoon programme with over 200 Praetorian systems having been delivered to date. With SELEX Galileo’s activities, the Finmeccanica share in the avionics on the Eurofighter Typhoon is more than 60%. The Company’s participation in the programme includes development and production carried out at SELEX Galileo’s sites in Luton, Edinburgh, Milan, Pomezia and Caselle. SELEX Galileo leads three of the main international consortia: EuroDASS, EuroRADAR and EuroFIRST.