“MBDA and OCCAR Unite to Revolutionize Italian Air Defence with Advanced CAMM-ER Enhancements”
MBDA, a global frontrunner in the domain of sophisticated weapon systems, has finalized a contract modification with OCCAR (the organization for collaborative armament coordination) to augment the technical features of the Italian air defense systems based on CAMM-ER for the Italian Army and Air Force, specifically Grifo and MAADS (Medium Advanced Air Defense System).
This agreement will also introduce a new versatile and multi-functional Fire Control Unit (FCU), conceived and engineered by MBDA to significantly enhance the command-and-control capabilities of the Grifo system. This advancement, executed for the advantage of the Italian Army, incorporates extensive improvements that have been devised over the past year, within the primary production agreement aimed at bolstering the operational capabilities of the Italian Armed Forces. The contract additionally encompasses the operational validation and the manufacturing of the new FCU.
The Grifo system employs CAMM-ER – the expanded-range missile from the advanced CAMM series – collaboratively created in the United Kingdom and Italy for terrestrial and naval air defense. The CAMM series can be seamlessly integrated with the user’s preferred radar and C2 to establish an Enhanced Modular Air Defense Solution (EMADS).
CAMM-ER, furnished with a cutting-edge active seeker and a novel motor – engineered by AVIO – to deliver an extended range, was successfully validated last year and will substitute the Aspide missile currently utilized by the SPADA system of the Italian Air Force and the Skyguard system of the Italian Army.
Furthermore, CAMM-ER is incorporated into Albatros NG, the next-gen naval-based air defense (NBAD) system, already sold internationally, that optimizes surface-to-air capabilities of naval fleets.
The initiatives stemming from this new contract will further boost the industrial capacity at MBDA’s Italian locations, particularly at the Fusaro facility in Bacoli (near Naples), which has already been enhanced due to recent contracts for CAMM-ER and Aster missiles, thereby supporting the company’s technological and industrial advancement.
