iXblue together with its Spanish representative GRAFINTA have signed a contract with GMV to provide critical navigation for all Spanish Army 8×8 VCR Dragón. This contract covers the delivery of over 240 Advans Series inertial navigation systems (INS), namely Ursa U5 and Vega V5, with a first batch due in early 2022. Ursa U5 is the only cost-effective, north finding and easy to integrate INS for military land vehicles, allowing it to be fitted on an entire fleet. Vega V5, on the other hand, is a higher performance INS designed for both navigation and pointing applications. Both INS are based on iXblue’s renowned Fiber-Optic Gyroscope technology, providing high-performance and resilient navigation everywhere, including in GNSS-denied environments.
“iXblue is honored to have both GMV and the Spanish Army’s trust for such an important program. Our INS will provide accurate, secure, and resilient navigation and position information to the vehicles. With the recent selection of iXblue’s Marins Series INS and Netans Data Distribution Units (DDU) to equip the Spanish Armada’s newest F110 frigates, where GMV will integrate iXblue systems in the global frigate navigation system, the company is becoming a key player for navigation solutions in Spain. “We are humbled to be a partner of the Spanish Armed Forces in the resilient navigation domain. These successes are a source of pride for all of our teams and, we hope, the beginning of a fruitful and close cooperatio,” says Carlos Lopes, sales manager at iXblue.
Based on the well-known GDELS 8×8 Piranha 5 combat wheeled vehicles, the Dragon is a state-of-the-art system, equipped with the most advanced technologies. The Piranha 5 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) is one variant of the fifth generation of the Mowag Piranha family of vehicles. It was designed by General Dynamics European Land Systems – Mowag GmbH. This program is a major component of the Spanish Army’s plan to gear up in order to ensure future effectiveness. GMV as contractor of the navigation system will integrate iXblue systems with GMV’s technology in GNSS and navigation algorithms. First batch of 348 vehicles, to start replacing in 2020 a total of 1200 vehicles for Spanish Army. Spanish Navy Marines is an undetermined number of Piranha V with 120 mm guns will substitute the M60A3 in service.
iXblue is a French high-tech company (design and manufacture of inertial power plants, underwater acoustic equipment (sonars), shipbuilding, optical fibres and components, mechatronics, artificial intelligence). The equipment iXblue develops is intended for the civil and military maritime sector as well as the space sector. The company, which employs approximately 650 people, including 300 engineers and doctors, has a turnover of €100 million, 80% of which is generated internationally. It has 7 facilities with a central site in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. 50% of its turnover is generated by inertia power plants, in which the company is a world leader. The fibre optic gyrometer developed by iXblue is used on the emergency gyrocompass of French nuclear attack submarines and is installed on several series of scientific (Gaia) and telecommunications satellites.