Selex ES, a Finmeccanica company, Feb. 12 said it has been awarded a multi-million Euro contract by a Far Eastern country to deliver a further HALO acoustic weapon locating system.
This order follows the successful delivery of the two systems procured by the same country last year.
Separately, Selex ES was awarded a contract to provide five systems to the Italian armed forces, which includes an option for further future deliveries.
HALO detects sound waves generated by gun or mortar fire and other explosions and can precisely locate the source of hostile weaponry.
Passive, covert and easy to deploy, HALO is highly accurate, typically giving a reading to better than 1 percent of range at 15 kilometers, the company said in a statement.
“Our customer in the region has been delighted with the quality and performance of previously delivered systems, and has therefore now chosen to expand their capability with a further HALO system” said Selex ES Optronics & Communication Systems Marketing Vice President, Mark Byfield. “This deal, and our significant order from the Italian Armed Forces, are yet further endorsements for HALO as the world’s leading acoustic weapon location system.”
HALO has been in-service with U.K. forces since 1994 and the U.S. Marine Corps since 2005 and has seen service in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The HALO system in service with U.K. forces today is also significantly different from the originally procured system. Selex ES has successfully delivered a number of upgrades in response to user feedback. New systems being purchased by current customers take advantage of upgrades and enhancements resulting from almost 20 years of continuous operational service.
Having proven successful on combat operations, the system has since been sold to a number of Far Eastern and other export customers.