L-3 Awarded $61 Million Contract for Canadian Halifax Class Frigate Upgrade

NEW YORK --- L-3 Communications announced today that its MAPPS division has been awarded a $61 million contract (CAD $73 million) to supply its Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) upgrade for the Canadian Navys 12 Halifax Class frigates. The IPMS will modernize the frigates ship control system and improve the operational effectiveness of the vessels. This award reinforces our position as the premier supplier of ship control systems to the Canadian Navy, said Steve Kantor, president of L-3 Marine and Power Systems Group. It is one of the largest control system contracts ever awarded a single contract for 12 large frontline naval ships. The L-3 IPMS is based on a proven open-architecture design and features Versa Module Europa-based remote terminal units. The new IPMS incorporates a damage control system and electrical control system. It also offers new advanced functionality with equipment health monitoring, an on-board training system, CCTV integration and an interface with the ships new combat management system. Several training simulators will also be delivered to the support facilities of the Canadian Navy. The Halifax Class frigate (hull designation FFH) is a class of multi-role patrol frigates that have served the Canadian Forces since 1992. HMCS Halifax (FFH 30) was the first of an eventual twelve Canadian-designed and built vessels, which combine traditional anti-submarine capabilities with systems to deal with surface and air threats. In 2007, the Canadian government announced a planned refit of the Halifax Class known as the Halifax Class Modernization Project or alternately as the Frigate Life Extension.