SENER is making a major contribution towards the integration of the TAURUS missile into the Spanish Air Force's C/CE.15 aircraft (EF-18 A)
Madrid,
Spain -
Jul 22, 2009 -
During May 2009 the Spanish Air Force successfully completed the integration of its first cruise missile into the C/CE.15 (EF-18 A) multirole combat aircraft, as part of the Operation 'Southern Cross', which rounds off the process of integrating the TAURUS KEPD-350 missile (Target Adaptive Unitary and Dispenser Robotic Ubiquity System / Kinetic Energy Penetrator and Destroyer), which Spain recently acquired, into the aircraft.
Operation 'Southern Cross' has involved various operational tests of the TAURUS KEPD-350 at the Overberg, South Africa, firing range, all of which were successful. During the exercise two missiles, specially equipped and instrumented to comply with the requirements laid down by OTB, were launched from an EF-18 A. Apart from the EF-18 A multirole combat aircraft, the exercise also involved support aircraft for in-flight refuelling (B-707), transporting personnel and materials (C-130 and C-295), and search and rescue missions (Fokker F-27).
SENER is the main contractor for acquiring this missile in Spain and, as long ago as 2007, has provided the Spanish Air Force with the first two KEPD 350 missiles. For the exercise in South Africa, SENER guaranteed the availability of all the equipment, materials and personnel required to execute the trials and to take care of all the tasks that the industry had to perform and carry out for the operation. With a view to guaranteeing the mission, SENER has been working with the Spanish Air Force to prepare and coordinate this exercise since early in 2008. The company, along with TAURUS Systems GmbH (TSG), provided the technical assistance that was required in South Africa to carry out the tests, for which it used personnel stationed in Overberg. At the same time, SENER worked closely with Spanish Air Force personnel in South Africa to prepare the missile for the captive flights and the final free flight, load the mission data, load the missile's fuel, and load and unload the missile in the aircraft. For these activities, the company supplied the relevant on-land support equipment within the scope of the TAURUS missile supply contract.
In the words of Jose Maria Rodriguez, a SENER engineer and the project's leader, "The work done by the company during the exercise has confirmed SENER's expertise in this type of mission. This project can be added to previous tasks that SENER has accomplished successfully, such as support and assistance activities in integrating the IRIS-T short range air-air missile into the C/CE.15 aircraft".
The TAURUS KEPD-350 missile, developed and produced by TAURUS Systems GmbH (TSG), belongs to the latest generation of medium range (around 500 km) air-surface missiles and combines ultra-modern systems for navigation, and for locating and attacking targets; at the same time, its design reduces its 'radar signature' to avoid detection. Once launched, the missile flies at extremely low altitudes (30 metres) powered by a small turbofan engine, and can reach Mach 0.9 (approx. 1000 km/hour).
SENER has become an international centre of excellence in control and actuation systems for missiles as well as for application in space, aeronautics and defence, high accuracy solar trackers and electro-medical devices, and is also recognised for its guidance and control systems and ISR-related technology (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance).
ABOUT SENER
SENER Grupo de Ingenieria, S.A. is one of the largest high tech groups in Spain, that employs over 5,700 professionals and has a turnover of 829MEUR. Its engineering and aerospace company, SENER Ingenieria y Sistemas, S.A., has become one of the leading Spanish firms with a turnover of more than 385MEUR, around 2,300 employees and offices in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Seville, Buenos Aires, Abu Dhabi, Algiers, Lisbon, Mexico DF, Okayama (Japan), San Francisco and Warsaw. www.sener.es
Operation 'Southern Cross' has involved various operational tests of the TAURUS KEPD-350 at the Overberg, South Africa, firing range, all of which were successful. During the exercise two missiles, specially equipped and instrumented to comply with the requirements laid down by OTB, were launched from an EF-18 A. Apart from the EF-18 A multirole combat aircraft, the exercise also involved support aircraft for in-flight refuelling (B-707), transporting personnel and materials (C-130 and C-295), and search and rescue missions (Fokker F-27).
SENER is the main contractor for acquiring this missile in Spain and, as long ago as 2007, has provided the Spanish Air Force with the first two KEPD 350 missiles. For the exercise in South Africa, SENER guaranteed the availability of all the equipment, materials and personnel required to execute the trials and to take care of all the tasks that the industry had to perform and carry out for the operation. With a view to guaranteeing the mission, SENER has been working with the Spanish Air Force to prepare and coordinate this exercise since early in 2008. The company, along with TAURUS Systems GmbH (TSG), provided the technical assistance that was required in South Africa to carry out the tests, for which it used personnel stationed in Overberg. At the same time, SENER worked closely with Spanish Air Force personnel in South Africa to prepare the missile for the captive flights and the final free flight, load the mission data, load the missile's fuel, and load and unload the missile in the aircraft. For these activities, the company supplied the relevant on-land support equipment within the scope of the TAURUS missile supply contract.
In the words of Jose Maria Rodriguez, a SENER engineer and the project's leader, "The work done by the company during the exercise has confirmed SENER's expertise in this type of mission. This project can be added to previous tasks that SENER has accomplished successfully, such as support and assistance activities in integrating the IRIS-T short range air-air missile into the C/CE.15 aircraft".
The TAURUS KEPD-350 missile, developed and produced by TAURUS Systems GmbH (TSG), belongs to the latest generation of medium range (around 500 km) air-surface missiles and combines ultra-modern systems for navigation, and for locating and attacking targets; at the same time, its design reduces its 'radar signature' to avoid detection. Once launched, the missile flies at extremely low altitudes (30 metres) powered by a small turbofan engine, and can reach Mach 0.9 (approx. 1000 km/hour).
SENER has become an international centre of excellence in control and actuation systems for missiles as well as for application in space, aeronautics and defence, high accuracy solar trackers and electro-medical devices, and is also recognised for its guidance and control systems and ISR-related technology (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance).
ABOUT SENER
SENER Grupo de Ingenieria, S.A. is one of the largest high tech groups in Spain, that employs over 5,700 professionals and has a turnover of 829MEUR. Its engineering and aerospace company, SENER Ingenieria y Sistemas, S.A., has become one of the leading Spanish firms with a turnover of more than 385MEUR, around 2,300 employees and offices in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Seville, Buenos Aires, Abu Dhabi, Algiers, Lisbon, Mexico DF, Okayama (Japan), San Francisco and Warsaw. www.sener.es
Company Center: SENER, S.A.
