Saab Australia (Saab) has cemented its role as the nation’s sovereign combat management system (CMS) provider for the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Surface Fleet following the signing of the final stage of the Enterprise Partnering Agreement (EPA). CMS is the computer software system that connects a naval ship’s sensors, weapons and other equipment providing the operator with an integrated operating system. The signing was the culmination of the prior mandate made by Government to nominate Saab as the nation’s sovereign CMS provider to the Royal Australian Navy’s Surface Fleet, and paves the way for the next chapter in the company’s support of the RAN.
Saab Australia’s Managing Director, Andy Keough said,”The EPA signing demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the RAN and to the creation of sovereign capability, building on the great work we have already completed for the Commonwealth. It serves as recognition of the strong track record Saab has demonstrated in reliably delivering excellence in CMS capability to the Navy for more than three decades. Importantly, it ensures we can continue to evolve the Navy’s capability, create local jobs, and deliver an Australian CMS (AusCMS) that meets the needs of the RAN in an evolving geo-political landscape.”
As a key part of the Government’s enterprise approach to shipbuilding, realisation of the EPA will see Saab’s AusCMS equip up to six classes of warships in the surface fleet, along with developing the Australian Interface for the Hunter and Hobart classes. Three decades after a group of Swedish engineers transferred expert command and control capability to Australia, Saab enjoys a long and proud history of developing, delivering and evolving CMS capability for the exacting needs of our RAN, and the protection of Australia. During the last thirty-four years, Saab has forged a strong partnership with the RAN.
9LV is a Naval Combat Management System (CMS) from the Swedish company Saab. 9LV is currently used on several classes of naval combatants, including the Australian Anzac-class frigates, the Swedish Visby-class corvettes, the Canadian Halifax-class frigates and the Australian Canberra-class landing helicopter dock ships. As Saab has evolved the architecture of 9LV with virtualization, containerization and other technologies, the term NextGen is used. As previously announced by Saab, the company will deliver the tactical interface to the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of Hunter class frigates. The tactical interface will be based on Saab’s ‘Next Generation’ Combat Management System (CMS), which will become part of all the Navy’s major surface ships.