IDEX 09, the 9th International Defence Exhibition and Conference, will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from 22-26 February 2009. ECA will be exhibiting in hall 07, at stand C36.

ECA will exhibit SIMBA (system for imaging and bathymetry) 45, designed to carry out missions such as hydrographic and oceanographic survey, homeland security and mine warfare. The embarked systems and equipment are: autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle ALISTER, unmanned surface vehicle INSPECTOR, mine-killer K-STER, ROV H300/H1000, towed sonar and aHyperbaric chamber. Together with the silent propulsion mode, low magnetic signature through preliminary degaussing and deperming of the vessel itself (designed by RAIDCO), it offers a discreet, flexible and low cost solution.

ECA will also exhibit three modular and reconfigurable UGVs (unmanned ground vehicles), part of ECA’s coherent range developed to answer the newly-expressed needs of armies. These UGVs, based on a new architecture, have already incited the interest of many end users in charge of complex operations where humans are frequently dangerously exposed.

Guarded systems for IED detection

The European Defence Agency (EDA) has notified ECA of the contract for the evaluation, choice and integration of a new detection robot for improvised explosive device (IED) detection. This contract is managed in collaboration with other European partners and should lead to new means to protect against against IED threats.