Vanguard Magazine

30 JUNE/JULY 2016 www.vanguardcanada.com c csc c anada's Magellan Aerospace has signed an agreement with command and control provider Atlas Elektronik to help devel- op the rocket motor and war- head sections of the German firm's latest underwater warfare weapon. Atlas Elektronik's SeaSpider can be best described as an anti-torpedo torpedo, says Thorsten Bochentin, director of business development for Atlas. The SeaSpider is designed to be fired from a surface vessel. The company is positioning the technol- ogy for the Canadian Navy's upcoming and lucrative Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program. "It is designed to provide hard-kill de- fence capability against all torpedo threats for surface vessels and submarines," he told Vanguard. "Essentially its mission is to seek out and destroy a torpedo launched by an enemy vessel before it can reach its target." As the key enabler for torpedo defence, SeaSpider will be integrated with sonar and acoustic sensors to counter these under- water warfare threats. He said the shell of the SeaSpider was specifically designed to accommodate further enhancement with new technology that may be developed in the future. SeaSpider will combine the best tech- nology and decades of experiences of two worlds – the expertise of Atlas in naval sys- tems like the SeaHake mod4 heavyweight torpedo and the leading rocket technol- ogy of Magellan Aerospace as chosen by NASA. Magellan Aerospace and Atlas Elek- tronik Canada will enter the global market of naval defence with a revolutionary un- derwater rocket motor for SeaSpider that will define the world standard and support diversity in a key Canadian aerospace capa- bility, according to Rick Gerbrecht, Presi- dent and CEO of Atlas. "The SeaSpider represents an unprece- dented resurgence in the excellence in Ca- nadian anti-submarine warfare capability," he said. "We are proud to be part of this effort that will offer the RCN, in time for the construction of the Canadian Surface Combatant, the leading integrated UWW solution to protect ships and sailors." "Magellan has a proven record of launching globally successful propulsion products, and looks forward to participat- ing in this new endeavour with Atlas," said Phil Underwood, President and CEO of Magellan Aerospace. With the SeaSpider system at technol- ogy readiness level 6, the system concept as well as the novel underwater rocket pro- pulsion is proven in multiple firings at sea, said Bochentin. The transition to production maturity through development and qualification can now be achieved in collaboration across the Atlantic, according to Atlas. "The common goal is the concurrent certification for NATO and Allied forces deployment and the establishment of a new standard in torpedo defence," the company said. by nestor arellano ATlAs elekTronik, MAgellAn AiM anti-torpedo torpedo at CSC program

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