Sagem (Safran group) has won a contract from Cassidian (an EADS company) to supply Sigma 30 navigation and pointing systems to modernize the self-propelled M270 Mars MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) artillery systems deployed by the armies of Germany, Italy and France.

Five artillery regiments in these three armies will be upgraded to the GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) standard.

Based on digital laser gyro technology, Sagem's Sigma 30 is a high-performance land navigation and artillery pointing system designed to operate in even the harshest environments. A component of the EFCS (European Fire Control System) integrated in the rocket launcher system, it is a critical part of today's artillery systems, enabling the very high-precision firing of new unitary warhead rockets to a range of several dozens of km, including in electronic warfare environment.

The Sigma 30 system will be coupled to a hardened, latest-generation SAASM (Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module) type GPS receiver.

Sagem's selection in this tripartite program further consolidates its offering of laser-gyro guidance systems for state-of-the-art artillery systems deployed by NATO, in Europe and the Middle East: Caesar (Nexter Systems) and Archer (BAE Systems) artillery systems, and 2R2M mobile mortars (Thales).

Artillery solutions by Sagem are now deployed by armies in some 20 countries and cover a wide range of requirements: forward observation systems, networked optronic sensors, navigation and pointing systems, fire control, computers, digital mapping and systems integration.