Leonardo to highlight its long term partnership with Korea and promote its latest helicopters and defence electronics at Seoul ADEX 2017

 

 

 

Leonardo will once again attend the Seoul International Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (Seoul ADEX) - stand B82 in Hall B - from October 17-22. Leonardo is known in Korea as the provider of the world-class AW159 helicopter, currently in service with the Republic of Korea Navy, and has decades of heritage providing the latest helicopters and defence & security electronics, such as radar, into the country. Today, the Republic of Korea’s key civil and military forces conduct operations using a wide range of high technology Leonardo equipment. 

 

 

At ADEX, visitors will be able to see a scale representation of Leonardo’s AW159 helicopter, now in operational service with the RoK Navy, and learn all about the latest technology that delivers a winning combination of mission capability and value for money. The RoK Navy’s AW159  helicopters are equipped with the same Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars (called ‘Seaspray’) and Defensive Aids Suite (called ‘HIDAS’ for ‘Helicopter Integrated Defensive Aids Suite’) that are also used by the UK’s Royal Navy on their AW159 Wildcat helicopters. The RoK Navy also equips its AW159s with one of Leonardo’s electronic warfare systems, an advanced digital ESM called ‘SAGE’, with embedded radar warning receiver which provides high-accuracy single platform geo-location. Both the Seaspray radar and the SAGE ESM will be on show to visitors at Seoul ADEX.

 

 

As well as delivering high-tech systems such as the AW159, Leonardo is committed to supporting the technology it delivers and widening partnerships in-country. For its electronic warfare systems, Leonardo has executed an Electronic Warfare Operational Support (EWOS) knowledge transfer programme for members of the RoK Navy, Air Force and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), to train Korean forces to adapt the AW159’s electronic warfare systems in response to new threats as they emerge. At first, the training courses took place at Leonardo’s facilities in the UK, but the company has since helped establish a Korean EWOS support facility on-site at RoK Navy 62 Squadron’s Gim Hae base to provide a sovereign electronic warfare capability to the country.

 

 

Leonardo will also be promoting its AW101 and AW189 helicopters at Seoul ADEX and invites visitors to learn more at stand B82. The AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter used in both military and civil applications by several countries including the UK, Italy and Canada, and has most recently been ordered by Norway in a search-and-rescue configuration which includes Leonardo’s Osprey AESA radar. The AW101 is a true multi-role helicopter capable of performing a wide range of roles including specilised roles like airborne mine counter measures, amphibious support and VVIP transport. The AW189 is Leonardo’s latest twin-engined, super-medium helicopter for civil applications with 150 orders and options to date. Leonardo is a main helicopter partner of Korea, having previously also provided the Super Lynx for the RoK Navy, the AW139 helicopter for the Korea Coast Guard and several regional fire services, the AW119Ke for the Korean National Police and the GrandNew and AW169 for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) operations. 

 

 

Another major area of focus for Leonardo at Seoul ADEX will be the company’s AESA radars. Leonardo’s AESA surveillance radars, including the AW159’s Seaspray, are widely regarded as world-leading and have been selected in competitive programmes in 30 countries, with the company’s Osprey radar chosen by the United States Navy to equip the brand-new MQ-8C Fire Scout uncrewed ‘drone’ helicopter. Leonardo’s AESA technology is the world’s best for detecting submarine periscopes and surface threats and only an AESA radar, such from Leonardo’s Seaspray and Osprey families of radars, offers a small target detection mode that can detect even the smallest targets in high sea states, such as submarine 'snort' masts or periscopes. Leonardo has a track record in providing radars to the Republic of Korea, with the RoKN Lynx Mk99 and Mk99a helicopters having carried Leonardo’s Seaspray surveillance radars for many years. In addition to the RoKN AW159s, the Korea Coast Guard also equip their S-92 helicopters with Leonardo’s Seaspray AESA radars. Working closely with the RoK Navy and DAPA, Leonardo are providing through life support capability for the systems operational in RoK. 

 

 

At the show, Leonardo will also be highlighting how the company can meet the Republic of Korea’s requirement to have a Mode-5 IFF capability by 2020 that can interoperate with US Forces. Nations who operate alongside US Forces need to upgrade to Mode 5 by 2020 and Leonardo has teamed with the German company Hensoldt (together called ‘Team Skytale’) to offer Mode-5 IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) solutions to customers around the world. Leonardo and Hensoldt can offer a comprehensive product portfolio and integration expertise in IFF and are the only companies outside of the United States to be able to offer a cryptographic computer or ‘crypto’ that meets the US Department of Defense AIMS 04-900(A) Option B control standard, making Team Skytale’s European solution readily exportable to the Republic of Korea. This will allow RoK to upgrade their systems to the new Mode-5 standard to allow inter-operation with NATO forces. Leonardo’s M428 IFF Transponder will be on show at Seoul ADEX. 

 

 

Other key electronics capabilities on show to visitors at Seoul ADEX include the company’s range of advanced electronic warfare products including the world-first ‘BriteCloud’ expendible active decoy, the ‘SEER’ radar warning receiver and the company’s readily-exportable ‘Miysis’ Directed InfraRed CounterMeasure (DIRCM) product.