Saab’s Barracuda Mobile Camouflage System (MCS) is now being partially manufactured in the United Kingdom following a deal with local engineering business Abbey Group. The United Kingdom is famous for manufacturing luxury cars, aircraft components and fine suits. And now another item can be added to the list: the Barracuda Mobile Camouflage System (MCS). Following a deal with engineering company Abbey Group, MCS units for use on the British Army’s Ajax armoured fighting vehicles are being assembled near Liverpool in northwest England. Abbey Group is responsible for sewing the units together using camouflage material produced in Sweden and then delivering completed MCS kits to customers. The agreement is good news for British manufacturing – and also for Saab which is responding to a rise in demand for Barracuda systems by expanding its production base globally.
Abbey Group Managing Director Adam Kelly says, “This is a win for local manufacturing and has already provided some great job opportunities for the local area. And it will continue to do so as we are growing staff number every couple of months.”
“We’re delighted to have Abbey Group on-board producing our Barracuda Mobile Camouflage System in the UK. With the global threat situation constantly evolving, it’s important for us to have manufacturing facilities close to our customers. It not only helps boost in-country defence-manufacturing capabilities, it also ensures that we are able to deliver the products needed in a timely and efficient manner,” says Daniel Nordström, Director Marketing and Sales at Saab’s business unit Barracuda.
Saab is committed to sharing knowledge and technology with its partners. Following the signing of the deal, staff from Abbey Group travelled to Barracuda’s production facility in Gamleby, Sweden, for training. One interesting aspect of the deal is the choice of a World War II ammunition bunker to the west of Liverpool as the location for Abbey Group’s Barracuda manufacturing facility. The facility was camouflaged out of sight to prevent it from being bombed during the war. And now it makes the most technologically advanced camouflage panels on the market. It has, of course, been fully renovated and kitted out with top-of-the range equipment and highly skilled staff and operators. The new deal will cement Saab and Barracuda’s already strong reputations in the UK. Saab has been present in the UK for nearly 30 years and it has a strong customer base for training and simulation and combat weapons, especially NLAW. These are strong brands, and Barracuda is now a strong brand with the British Army.
Saab Barracuda has developed and improved Barracuda MCS; Mobile Camouflage Systems; to become a flexible solution providing multispectral protection against detection, identification and climate control for vehicles and equipment. The advanced camouflage defeats hostile sensors and target acquisition systems in all phases of the mission. The HeaT Reduction properties of the MCS lowers a vehicle’s internal temperature, extending the endurance of personnel and electronic equipment. Signature Management minimises the contrast between an object and the background, making sensory detection much harder. Barracuda MCS reduces exposure and distance identification, which forces enemies to move closer in order to engage.
