OCCAR press release
On 28 February 2023, after signature by the Nations of the Programme Decision and Memorandum of Understanding, the OCCAR-EA Director Joachim Sucker and the Director of EuroTorp Giovanni Oliveri signed the contract for the In-Service Support of the Light Weight Torpedo (LWT) MU90.
The LWT Programme covers In-Service Support (ISS) for the MU90 torpedoes that the Participating States currently have in service. It builds on a 30-year joint development and production programme between France and Italy to meet 21st century Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) operational requirements, including shallow water and submarine hunting-killing capabilities.
Through an intensive negotiation, OCCAR, with the continuous involvement of EuroTorp and its members (THALES, Naval Group and Leonardo) and with the strong support of the Participating States negotiated and agreed an optimised ISS contract. The LWT programme marks another major step forward in OCCAR’s promotion of cooperative complex armaments programme management. OCCAR-EA hopes that it may provide a positive signal to other possible Participating States.
This new programme involving Germany, France and Italy, now also welcomes Australia for the first time as a Participating State. In signing the Programme Decision, Australia’s Head of Land Systems within the Capability Acquisition and Support Group, Major General Andrew Bottrell, noted the significance of Australia’s participation in the Light Weight Torpedo Programme and highlighted the importance of collaborative acquisition:
“Australia’s interest in the OCCAR Light Weight Torpedo Programme is not only in realising cost and schedule benefits from cooperation in MU90 sustainment, but in the wider benefits that arise from such collaboration including standardisation and interoperability among allies.”
The Programme Division will be established as part of the Small Programmes PD at the OCCAR Montrouge site in Paris.
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Naval News comments:
The Royal Australian Navy reached IOC with the MU90 LWT in November 2012.
