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VTN for the placement of the In Service Support of Queen Elizabeth Carrier (QEC) Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) and High Resolution Direction Finder (HRDF) equipment

The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (the “Authority”) intends to place a support solution with Thales UK (the “Company”) for the In-Service Support, including maintenance, repair and replacement component spares for the Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) and High Resolution Direction Finder (HRDF) equipment. The term of the support is envisaged to be nine years. The anticipated value of the support will be circa £5 million (Five Million Pounds Sterling).

Equipment items included in the scope of the proposed support are:

Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN) High Resolution Direction Finder (HRDF)

The reasons for placing the requirement with Thales UK are:

TACAN & HRDF equipment performs the essential functions as aids to Air Traffic Controllers for the Air Traffic management of aircraft in proximity to the ship, or fixed wing recovery of aircraft during attempts to land on board a ship at sea. As such, the Authority requires absolute confidence that repairs and maintenance are carried out in accordance with design specifications, ensuring the equipment is fit for purpose and enabling the Armed Forces to function safely. The safety mitigation that this equipment provides is a key tenet of the Certificate of Safety (Aviation) issued to each aviation-capable platform.

In respect of TACAN & HRDF equipment, there is a strict technical impracticability for a candidate other than the Company to achieve the required goals of maintaining and repairing the equipment. This is because only the Company has at its disposal the specialist know-how, extensive technical knowledge and maintenance history of the products concerned and the characteristics of the system(s) being maintained.

In respect of the TACAN & HRDF equipment, the Company is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for these systems. This range of equipment is designed to mitigate safety risks associated with Air Traffic Management and Fixed wing Recovery of aircraft on ships at sea. The Company is responsible for the overall system integrity and safe installation and operability, ensuring form fit for function is maintained and certifying that this safety-critical equipment remains fit for purpose, at both component and system level.

In respect of the TACAN & HRDF equipment, the Company is the OEM and holds all IPR rights as these equipment items were designed as a sole venture. There is a strict technical impracticability for a candidate other than the Company to achieve the required goals of maintaining and repairing the equipment. This is because only the Company has at its disposal the specialist know-how, extensive technical knowledge and maintenance history of the products and the characteristics of the system(s) being maintained.

There is a need to mitigate obsolescence issues within the TACAN equipment on the current antenna and components within the beacon transponder. The current OEM has identified the solution where there is an intent to embody, whereby any interoperability issues of other ships fitted equipment will be mitigated based on using the existing OEM of the equipment.