Israeli company Controp, which manufactures electro-optical and surveillance systems, has been selected to supply Vietnamese border guard with observation systems for its coastal vessels.
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Notably, these Vietnamese patrol ships are under construction at L&T’s shipyards in India and vessels being built for the Vietnamese Border Guard by Hong Ha shipyards in Vietnam.
According to the company, deliveries would start in 2020, to be completed in 2021. The deal for the ships was inked in September 2016.
According to reports, Controp has been an active supplier for Vietnam for many years. With a new deal, the company will provide its iSea-25HD lightweight electro-optical sensor which is designed to fit medium-sized ships.
The company claims that the iSea-25HD is capable of maintaining boresight even in harsh shock and vibration conditions, and incorporates digital and mechanical compensatory mechanisms developed indigenously to significantly enhance image quality.
“The iSea-25HD lightweight system provides maximum range surveillance using highly sensitive sensors, including a high-performance thermal imaging (TI) camera using 3-5µ IR detector with a continuous zoom lens, a high-sensitivity color day camera, and an eye-safe laser range finder (LRF). Among its additional features are advanced image processing and video enhancement algorithms. Applications include search & rescue, law/coast guard enforcement, EEZ protection, counter-piracy, illegal fishing and special ops,” the company mentions.
The company’s CEO Hagai Azani stated that the deal is another milestone for the company and shows the trustworthiness of its customers.
“We consider our selection by L&T in India and Hong Ha in Vietnam to be another important show of trust in us by our customers, as suppliers of electro-optical systems for observation and surveillance missions. Specially developed in response to customer demand for a system that can withstand harsh marine environmental conditions,” he said.
Vietnam is an important partner of India and is seen as a major defense and geopolitical partner in the region. New Delhi is also building a satellite tracking facility in Vietnam via its Indian Space and Research Organisation to keep an eye on Chinese aerospace activities. The nation has also expressed interest in getting a deal for BrahMos supersonic anti-ship missiles for its navy.