YORBA LINDA, Calif., 2 May 2008.Sabtech Industries in Yorba Linda, Calif., is providing its PowerNet NTDS Gateway to the German navy, which enabled German naval leaders to deploy as the maritime component of the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) international peacekeeping force off the coast of Lebanon in January 2007, company officials say.
NTDS stands for Naval Tactical Data System -- a miitary shipboard tactical network.
In July of 2006, an Israeli navy Saar 5-class corvette was damaged by an anti-ship missile launched by Hezbollah terrorists. The vessel was patrolling 10 miles off the coast of Beirut and the attack killed four crew members.
Last September, German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and announced the impending deployment of the German navy off the Lebanese coast. "The German navy will help on one hand to prevent the smuggling of weapons and on the other will help the Lebanese Army to protect its coast and border," says Chancellor Merkel.
The German navy decided in early October to upgrade the ship's combat system by installing the Multi Ammunition Softkill System (MASS) developed by Rheinmetall Waffe Munition (RWM). RWM in Germany is the main contractor and served as the integrator for this project. RWM commissioned ESG in Germany as subcontractor for creating a library based on a layer of a data interface. MASS is a computerized and trainable naval countermeasure system with ammunition that assures protection in all relevant wavebands (UV, EO, laser, infrared and radar).
Sabtech received the purchase order to deliver its PowerNet NTDS Gateways to the German navy in mid-October 2006. Sabtech's international sales team provided coordination of this operational requirement with the German Naval Attache assigned to the German Embassy in Washington and the U.S. Navy International Programs Office. This resulted in the U.S. State Department approval of an export license.
Sabtech's PowerNet integration of the MASS decoy system was first installed on the German Frigate Class 123 "Schleswig-Holstein" which commenced its UNIFIL deployment off Lebanon in January 2007. The success of the initial PowerNet/MASS upgrade for the ship's combat system is progressing towards completion of four F123 Class frigates as well as several land based systems. PowerNet is also being considered for install aboard additional ship classes of the German navy.
The flexibility provided by PowerNet enabled straightforward integration into a legacy combat system. A Sabtech NTDS Isolation Tap Box tapped the legacy combat system data. The PowerNet converted the MIL-STD-1397C data to TCP/IP/UDP for rapid insertion of the MASS Decoy Launching System on board naval vessels that lacked a countermeasures system.
Sabtech's PowerNet NTDS Gateway can link NTDS devices to UNIX or Windows based systems over an Ethernet LAN sending real time NTDS data to systems not directly connected to NTDS I/O channels. The PowerNet server runs the NTDS operations with a real-time executive able to handle the most demanding NTDS requirements.
When combined with C/C++ custom applications, PowerNet's Application Programming Interface (API) library provides a set of powerful, efficient functions that make it easy to get your system online -- fast. As a result, the rapid COTS insertion of PowerNet NTDS Gateways enabled the German navy to better safeguard their ship and crew for operations in hostile waters.
For more information contact Sabtech online at www.sabtech.com.
