Cassidian has been awarded a contract by Defence Research Development Canada to develop new technologies to help Canadian Navy ships to detect and counter laser-based threats in littoral waters.

The Laser Optical Countermeasures and Surveillance Against Threat Environment Scenarios (LOCATES) programme aims to develop a detection and tracking capability along with a laser countermeasure system.

Under the programme, a prototype system will be developed and field-tested by 2013.

Cassidian sales head Simon Jacques said: “The Canadian Navy’s mission is continuously evolving, and accordingly requires cutting-edge technologies to detect and protect naval platforms from asymmetric threats.

“Technologies developed in partnership with the DRDC will not only satisfy the Canadian Navy’s littoral requirements, but also those of allied Navies throughout the world.”