Euronaval trade show spurs new business for French naval companies

PARIS — French naval companies are solidifying global market share with the procurement of navigation systems by the Egyptian and German navies as well as developments in the multinational multi-role patrol corvette program.

The opening day of the Euronaval show, organized here from Nov. 4-7, was a fruitful one for the French naval industry with the announcement of several contracts.

Safran announced that the Egyptian Navy has selected its VIGY 4 optronic sights and Argonyx inertial navigation systems to equip 10 of the country’s offshore patrol vessels to detect and track threats.

According to the company, the short-wave, infra-red technology that powers the sights allows them to be especially effective for missions in settings where visibility is poor, for instance in the dark or through fog.

The VIGY 4 can also drive small and medium-caliber weapons, a Safran press release said.

Another French industrial group to have secured an important contract is Exail, which has been selected for the modernization of the German Navy’s Brandenburg-class frigates, also referred to as F-123.

The company will provide upgrades to the vessels’ navigation capabilities by enhancing its Netans data distribution units and Marins inertial navigation systems to speed up the distribution of information and increase positioning accuracy.

“We are pleased to partner with Arche and Saab to deliver state-of-the-art technology for the Brandenburg-class frigates,” Jens Higgen, regional sales director at Exail stated in a company announcement, referring to the other contractors on the frigate program.

On the sidelines of the exhibition, Naval Group also signed an Initial Consortium Agreement with Spanish and Italian shipbuilding companies Navantia and Fincantieri, as well as Naviris, a joint venture between the latter and the French company.

The partnership will strive to execute the second phase of the multirole patrol (MMPC) project, which builds on the foundations of the European Patrol Corvette initiated under a European Union-sponsored program.

The new phase will see the competition of the design of the corvettes as well as the integration of new technological packages to allow the vessels to be equipped with a variety of systems and payloads to perform a wider range of operations.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

巴黎——随着埃及和德国海军采购导航系统，以及多国多用途巡逻护卫舰项目的进展，法国海军企业正在巩固其在全球市场份额。

11月4日至7日在此举办的欧洲海军展开幕当天，法国海军工业取得了丰硕成果，宣布签订了多项合同。

赛峰集团宣布，埃及海军已选择其 VIGY 4 光电瞄准器和 Argonyx 惯性导航系统，为该国 10 艘近海巡逻舰配备，用于探测和跟踪威胁。

该公司表示，这些瞄准器采用的短波红外技术使其在能见度较差的环境下（例如在黑暗中或雾中）执行任务时特别有效。

赛峰集团发布的新闻稿称，VIGY 4 发动机还可以驱动小口径和中口径武器。

另一家获得重要合同的法国工业集团是 Exail，该公司被选中负责德国海军勃兰登堡级护卫舰（也称为 F-123）的现代化改造。

该公司将通过增强其 Netans 数据分发单元和 Marins 惯性导航系统来提升船舶的导航能力，从而加快信息分发速度并提高定位精度。

“我们很高兴与 Arche 和 Saab 合作，为勃兰登堡级护卫舰提供最先进的技术，”Exail 区域销售总监 Jens Higgen 在一份公司公告中表示，他指的是护卫舰项目的其他承包商。

在展览会期间，法国海军集团还与西班牙和意大利造船公司纳凡蒂亚和芬坎蒂尼以及后者与法国公司成立的合资企业纳维里斯签署了初步联合体协议。

该合作伙伴关系将努力执行多用途巡逻舰（MMPC）项目的第二阶段，该项目建立在欧盟资助的欧洲巡逻舰项目的基础之上。

新阶段将进行轻型护卫舰的设计竞赛，并整合新的技术方案，使舰艇能够配备各种系统和有效载荷，以执行更广泛的任务。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。