The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center has awarded a contract to US-based Advanced Technologies Systems (ATSC) to deliver the Mobile Surveillance Sensor Security System (MS3) Phase II to Egypt, via a Foreign Military Sale (FMS).
The USD93.8 million contract which was announced by the US Department Defence (DOD) on 1 February, involves the supply of “fixed-site surveillance towers, an agile truck based mobile border surveillance vehicle, a Mobile Border Surveillance System Model 1300 (MBSS-1300), a mobile field workshop to perform on-site maintenance, and contractor logistics support”.
Valued at $93.8 million (Foreign Military Sales funds to the amount of $74.8 million were obligated at the time of the contract award), the MBSS-1300 is an off-road, multispectral sensor-based persistent surveillance system.
According to ATSC, it has a 13-metre mast, pulse doppler ground and maritime surveillance radar, high-capacity line of sight PTP/PMP microwave communications data system, high definition ‘HDSD MW 550′ electro-optical and infrared multi-sensor, power and data distribution unit, GPS receiver, and auto aligning radio positioner.
Work is expected to be completed by February 2027.
ATSC may also be contacted in the future to supply Egypt with maritime surveillance systems, as Egypt in October 2020, requested for the system at a cost of $417 million. ATSC was listed as the prime contractor in the proposed sale.
Besides this new contract, the United States will also supply three SPS-48 Land-Based Radar systems and related equipment and services valued at $355 million to Egypt.
The principal contractor for the LBR contract will be L3 Harris Surveillance Systems. The SPS-48 air surveillance radar detects and tracks airborne targets, queues weapons systems, and provides hazardous weather detection and display.
For the past 10 years, the Egyptian military has been upgrading its surveillance capacity by acquiring modern radar systems. In 2017, the Egyptian Armed Forces took delivery of a new advanced 3D advanced early warning surveillance radar called 59N6E Protivnik-GE 3D from Russia.
in May 2021, Egypt acquired four units of French-made Thales Ground Master 400 (GM400) AESA air defense radars. This long-range, mobile, 3D radar system has a maximum range of up to 515Km.
According to Thales, the Ground Master 3D air surveillance radar, provides C2 centres with superior situational awareness at all times. With an update rate of 6 seconds and an elevation coverage of up to 40°, it can continuously scan the airspace simultaneously detecting all types of high, medium and low altitude targets.