CAS on target with electronic systems for Swedish wargames

Published on Monday 23 March 2009 20:47

A SMALL Scottish IT firm has won a "significant" deal to provide an electronic warfare system for major NATO war games in Sweden this summer, writes Erikka Askeland.

Software developed by Edinburgh-based Computer Applications Services (CAS) will be used to control and monitor surface to air missile simulators used during the alliance's Loyal Arrow exercise in June.

Loyal Arrow will bring together the air forces of 15 countries, including the RAF which will be deploy two Harrier squadrons and two aircraft carriers for the exercise.

The contract was struck with the Swedish defence administration which is hosting the war games. CAS will be on site from the middle of May, developing the electronic warfare system called Views which controls the simulation of attacks on aircraft and feeds "real time" data to a control centre for replay and analysis.

Dave Wells, managing director of CAS, said: "Our software controls the electronic warfare part of the exercise through a ground control centre.

"One part is the real time control, so the control centre can see where the threats are and instruct the threats to engage the aircraft." He added: "Another main part is we record everything and at the end of the mission the air crew can replay the mission and can see if their tactics were effective against the threat. That is the key part."

Jan Unander, marketing director for the Swedish defence administration, said: "Loyal Arrow is a once in a lifetime exercise, so it has to be right the first time.

"The CAS developed system is a key element in providing the level of electronic warfare training which is essential for exercise success. CAS is working very closely with us to ensure that the system is installed and ready by June."

CAS provides similar systems to other electronic warfare tactics ranges in Europe, including RAF Spadeadam in Brampton, Cumbria and the Tri-National Polygone facility in Germany.

CAS was founded in 1969 and spun out of Heriot Watt University.

The company was also part of a management buyout in 1997.