News

Activities in SELEX GALILEO site of Campi Bisenzio are growing in preparation for the ASI mission
PRISMA, due for launch by the end of 2011.
PRISMA (PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa) is a small satellite (<500 Kg) built by
an industrial consortium responsible for the development of the mission, which includes: Carlo
Gavazzi Space as Prime, SELEX GALILEO and Rheinmetall Italia. The contract awarded to SELEX
GALILEO is worth 28 million Euros.

SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems (SELEX S&AS), a Finmeccanica company, is delighted to announce that it has received an important order from a North European country for the supply of its new world leading PicoSAR lightweight airborne ground surveillance radar.
This is the first order for PicoSAR and discussions are underway with various potential customers around the world for further orders. It is anticipated that PicoSAR will be a great success and will become a key part of the SELEX S&AS Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar family.

From January 2008 SELEX S&AS and Galileo Avionica will begin to operate internationally as a single company, within the Finmeccanica Group and will be known as SELEX GALILEO. Historically both companies have traded separately and each has developed a strong client base and a reputation for excellence. The name SELEX GALILEO celebrates this tradition and will facilitate continued brand recognition which the new Executive Team is keen to retain and further develop.

This name reflects the strengths of both companies and is independent of nationality. Consequently it creates the platform which enables all of the benefits of combined working to be realised and is therefore a key part of the companies integration plan. It confirms the importance and continued development of both existing companies within the Finmeccanica Group and offers clients a one-stop shop to a comprehensive range of world leading products. The Executive Team believes that the new name SELEX GALILEO will offer a high recognition factor, giving staff a name that they can be proud of and offering clients the reassurance that the high standards that they have come to expect will continue to be available to them on an even greater scale than before.

After the successful launch of the interplanetary space probe DAWN on the 27th of September 2007 from Cape Canaveral, the VIR-MS (Visibile InfraRed - Mapper Spectrometer) instrument was switched on for the first time. The VIR-MS was designed and entirely manufactured by Galileo Avionica, under commission of the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), the Italian Space Agency.
VIR-MS (Visibile InfraRed - Mapper Spectrometer) is a key instrument of the mission: most of scientific the goals of DAWN will be reached thanks to this spectrometer operating in the visible and near infrared.

The Galileo Avionica (Finmeccanica) FALCO System has successfully completed an intense program of mission testing by an international launch customer, during which it fulfilled all the requirements specified in the contract, enabling it to demonstrate optimal operational functionality. The FALCO System is composed of four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) from the TUAV/MAE category, a Ground Control Station (GCS), a Ground Data Terminal (GDT) and Ground Support Equipment (GSE).
The FALCO System was validated after very successful trials lasting 15 months which were carried out in three different continents (Africa, Europe, Asia), under the most diverse climatic and operational conditions.

The MAST - Maritime Systems and Technology - exhibition will take place from the 14 to the 16 of November in Genoa at Porto Antico (Cotone Congress centre). At the Showcase Galileo Avionica, a Finmeccanica Company, will present the SOBCAH programme, a project financed by the European Community in the framework of the 2005 Preparatory Action for Security Research.

Galileo Avionica is one of the three companies part of the project "Milano nello Spazio". This project will start the next 23 October with two exhibitions: one at the University of Milan - Bicocca ("Giuseppe Occhialini: dagli atomi alle stelle" from the 24 October to the 30 November) and the second at the Polytechnic of Milan - Bovisa ("Tecnologia e scienza in orbita" from the 24 October to the 8 November).

The Vacuum Technologies centre at Carsoli (near L'Aquila) represents for Galileo Avionica a site of excellence on the design, development and production of optical and functional coatings military, aerospace and civil applications Galileo Avionica plant carries out both: a Research and Development activity and a significant production specialized in optical coatings, becoming a reference for all Finmeccanica companies.
The optical coatings realized at the Carsoli center are manufactured in vacuum using different technologies and are applied on optics such as lens, windows, and mirrors to maximize their optical properties in the UV-NIR range.

Edinburgh based Radar specialists, SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems (SELEX S&AS) will feature as main sponsors of The Institution of Engineering and Technology's International Conference on Radar Systems (Radar 2007) which will be hosted in the Capital from 15 - 18 October.

SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems (SELEX S&AS), a Finmeccanica Company, is delighted to have received an important order from Kelowna Flightcraft of Canada to supply Titan 385ES EO Turrets for onward sale to Kazan Helicopters of Russia. These flexible multi-sensor turrets will be installed on Mi-17-V5 helicopters manufactured in Russia for delivery to the Kazakstan Airforce.

Galileo Avionica is partner of the European programme SOSTAR-X aiming to meet NATO AGS (Airborne Ground Surveillance) requirements by the development, production and testing of an advanced Airborne Ground Surveillance radar system with an active AESA (Antenna Electronic Scanned Array) antenna.
The Radar named SOSTAR-X (Stand-off Surveillance and Target Acquisition Radar) is a system particularly suitable for the surveillance of vast areas observed from a great distance.

Galileo Avionica participates to the exhibition "Impronte", Traces, taking place from the 2nd to 21st of October 2007 at the Museum of Natural Sciences "E.Caffi" of Bergamo city. Galileo Avionica in collaboration with ASI, Italian Space Agency, has supplied a model of the Rosetta Lander, including SD2, the space driller for the Rosetta Mission.

On the 21th of September 2007, Galileo Avionica has celebrated the 60° Anniversary of Ronchi dei Legionari site, focusing on the persons, technologies and products that made the plant as we know it today.

Galileo Avionica, a Finmeccanica Company, will take part in the AFCEA meeting for "Aerospace Technologies and Applications for dual use", Rome, 13-14 September 2007 presenting a selection of its dual use latest technologies.

SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems (S&AS) will take part in the 2007 Defence Systems and Equipment International (DSEi) exhibition and conference, London 10 -14 September, displaying a selection of its most advanced products at the Finmeccanica stand No. 679.

The first Eurofighter Typhoon with on board the radar PIRATE- IRST designed and produced by Galileo Avionica, a Finmeccanica Company, was delivered to the Italian Aeronautica Militare.
The aircraft is part of the Tanche 1 batch 5 of the international programme Eurofighter and is operational at the Grosseto base, in Tuscany.

Air Cadets from 870 (Dreghorn) Sqn in Edinburgh triumphed over young engineers from Scottish schools and ATC Squadrons at the 2007 edition of the Scottish Robotic Games.
The Games, which consist of Two-a-side Football, an Assault Course, Sumo battle and a Tug-of-war, as well as a series of special categories such as "Best Engineered Rampaging Chariot" and "Best Artistic Design", saw 31 teams made up of children aged 12 to 17, square off their creations on two purpose built arenas at SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems (S&AS) Edinburgh facility.

SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems (S&AS), a Finmeccanica company, will unveil a model of its brand new tactical UAV Damselfy at the ParcAberporth Unmanned Systems event on 11-12th July.
This new UAV is designed to be especially effective in specific circumstances where Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) is required due to restricted space for launch and recovery operations, for example from a ship, or in urban areas where similarly sized UAVs have not previously been able to fly. Damselfy combines Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) with a graceful transition to horizontal flight by means of a vectored thrust combined propulsion and lift system.

A team from 14 Signal Regiment based in Brawdy, Pembrokeshire have raised significant funds for charity in their bid to take on an ultra marathon in the South Downs. The team have been sponsored £2000 by SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems (S&AS) to march their way across difficult terrain in a 100km trek which must be completed in under 30 hours. The mass participation ultra-marathon known as Trailwalker will take place on Saturday 15 July to raise money for the Gurkha Welfare Trust and Oxfam.

SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems (S&AS), a Finmeccanica company, will demonstrate its exciting capability in the UAV sector by flying its new military and civil Mini-Unmanned Aerial Systems, STRIX, OTUS and Asio at the 2007 ParcAberporth Unmanned Systems Event on the 11-12th July. Also on display will be the tactical unmanned system Falco, which first flew at this event last year, and is currently performing well in international markets.