MBDA Italy and CIRA (the Italian Centre for Aerospace Research) have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at advancing in the most effective way the operational skills of each of the two organisations in their respective sectors. This agreement, which is for a three-year term, will be automatically renewed each subsequent three years.
The agreement came about following the identification of possible synergies in the development of general purpose technologies as well as in the conception, development, qualification and use of “Flying Test Beds” through which such technologies and their respective design and integration techniques could be properly validated.
The agreement will deal with various topics, including:
- Composite airframes for subsonic/supersonic applications;
- Guidance, navigation and control systems and algorithms for next-generation expendable launchers and hypersonic vehicles;
- Composite canisters;
- Composite BMC4I and dual-use modules;
- Anti-ballistic defence to increase personnel safety during operations;
- Hybrid radomes.
MBDA will in due course establish a technical unit at the CIRA to act as the focal point to progress the various projects to be financed.
Notes to editors
With industrial facilities in four European countries and within the USA, MBDA has an annual turnover of €2.6 billion and an order book of €12 billion. With more than 90 armed forces customers in the world, MBDA is a world leader in missiles and missile systems.
MBDA is the only group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air). In total, the group offers a range of 45 missile systems and countermeasures products already in operational service and more than 15 others currently in development.
MBDA is jointly held by BAE SYSTEMS (37,5%), EADS (37,5%) and FINMECCANICA (25%).
CIRA (Italian Centre for Aerospace Research) is an associated corporation controlled primarily by the Italian State. It was founded in 1984 with the aim of defining and implementing PRO.RA (the Aerospace Research National Programme), namely to construct and manage research laboratories and state-of-the-art plants, to conduct research and technology development activities, to spread aerospace knowledge and to participate in both European and international programmes.
CIRA has become subsequently an internationally recognised centre of excellence in air force and space disciplines. Through PRO.RA, remarkable expertise has been acquired in several sectors, such as space propulsion, aerodynamics, aerothermodynamics and thermo-structures, advanced structures, flight systems, vibration and acoustics and IT. A number of unique test plants have been established such as PWT, IWT and LISA which, as well as setting up advanced research laboratories, have set up respectively methods of simulating the return phase into the earth’s atmosphere, the formation of ice on aircraft and the ground impact of aerospace structures.
The Centre also carries out technological integration activities in UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and USV (Unmanned Space Vehicles) programmes which have as their ultimate goal the development of unmanned flying platforms for the validation of innovative technologies necessary for the air forces and space transportation means of tomorrow.
