Bowman hi-tech communications
“BOWMAN” and “Hi-tech” – surely a contradiction in terms?
360˚ full-colour surveillance radar
Hopefully a much-updated version of the 360 degree full-colour Sea Spray offered to MoD by Ferranti 20+ years ago.
Bearing in mind the ISD is still 9 or more years away, I sincerely hope MoD don’t repeat the Merlin faux pas whereby they specified legacy avionics kit only to see it become even more obsolescent as the air vehicle was delayed. Hundreds of mods missing at ISD. If the price includes any type of development and support activities, this looks suspiciously cheap. Compare it with 67 Apaches at thrice the (1996) price. Plus the hidden extras like training, support, platform conversions. I suspect some of the features mentioned will be separate, dependant programmes (which history tells us can be cancelled at the drop of hat leaving FLynx in the lurch); and the cynic in me says you can get much of the avionic “capability” by re-using existing kit, with minor mods.
ISD 2015? Just in time for a lengthy mod programme to update it for CVF / MASC interoperability.
The only certain thing is that Westland will do their best. They always do.