BAE Systems plays on mobility at DefExpo

Company Statement

Mobility will be the dominant theme among BAE Systems’ displays at the 7th DefExpo India being held in New Delhi from March 29th through April 1st this year. The company will debut its family of CV90 Light Tanks and BVs10 go-anywhere All-Terrain Vehicle family in India at the exhibition, along with the ultra-light M777 howitzer. In recognition of the Company’s commitment to offer the full span of its capabilities across the defense, aerospace and security domains in India, BAE Systems’ pavilion at this signature event spans products and solutions in Air and Defence Information, Maritime, Intelligence and Security, and Electronics Systems.

Initially created for the Swedish army and sold to six nations, the CV90 Light Tank provides high tactical and strategic mobility, and survivability in any terrain or tactical environment. Designed to provide maximum availability and cost-efficiency throughout its operational lifespan, the CV90’s systems require only straightforward, low-cost maintenance. The platform’s future-proof design, the result of continuous improvement from operational feedback, allows for new upgrades and variants. A proven workhorse in battle situations, the BvS10 armored all-terrain vehicle provides an unbeatable combination of mobility, payload and protection. The world’s first 155mm Howitzer weighing under 10000lbs (4218kg), the highly mobile M777, on display at DefExpo this year is the subject of ongoing discussions between the Indian and US Governments in relation to a possible sale, in support of the Indian Army’s modernization program.

Reinforcing its commitment to supporting indigenous capability through investment, technology sharing and co-development, BAE Systems is located in Hall 9 alongside Defence Land Systems India, its Joint Venture with Mahindra & Mahindra.

In the Electronic Systems sector, the company will have a variety of future soldier technologies on display, including handheld thermal monoculars. These technologies will be displayed in conjunction with other components of BAE Systems equipment developed to maximize the capabilities of dismounted personnel in military and security operations. Among the BAE Systems products on display is a lightweight thermal weapon sight featuring a 28-micron focal plane array which requires less power and reduces weight. Two other innovative BAE Systems’ products for dismounted personnel on display include the SkeetIR® and RED-I®. The size of a credit card, the weapon-mountable SkeetIR is not only one of smallest thermal monoculars available today, it is also one of the most versatile thermal imagers in the world. With its hotkey functionality, a modular weapon, helmet, and accessory interface, SkeetIR adapts in seconds to virtually any weapon. The RED-I, or Remote Eyepiece Display Imager, is a head mounted display compatible with military night sensors such as thermal weapon sights and the SkeetIR.

Further, Geospatial eXploitation Products (GXP) software specialists will show how to use GXP Xplorer data management software to connect to and crawl various disparate data repositories to find information in GIS feature databases, product and national libraries, map and chart libraries, tactical datastores, and other intelligence data sources.

Dean McCumiskey, Managing Director & CEO-India, BAE Systems, “DefExpo is an extremely important platform for us in the continuing development of our business and the last two years have marked very good progress. Partnering with the industry in achieving self-reliance in the design, development, and production of equipment, systems and platforms is the cornerstone of our business in India and we take pride in the milestones our joint ventures with Mahindra & Mahindra and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited have marked in their journeys since the last DefExpo. As we build our footprint, we are committed to creating key intellectual property indigenously working closely with partners and customers to deliver best of breed solutions.”