OUDENAARDE, Belgium, April 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
OIP Sensor Systems (OIP), a leading Belgian defence company, signed a teaming agreement with Hydroid Inc. (Hydroid), a subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime, to work jointly and exclusively on competing for the Belgian Ministry of Defence Mine Counter Measures (MCM) Toolbox programme. Senior officials from the two parties participated in a signing event held at the OIP facility in Oudenaarde, Belgium.
(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/663665/OIP_and_Hydroid.jpg )
OIP is a long-time and trusted provider of advanced maritime systems equipping Belgian and Dutch frigates as well as Belgian patrol vessels. Founded in Ghent in 1919, OIP is now based in Oudenaarde where it conducts R&D and runs its manufacturing and assembly operations.
The signed agreement is part of the OIP drive to form a highly competitive Belgian lead collaboration combining a proven unmanned MCM solution with an extensive systems integration experience that will enable the team to win significant shares of the development and production involved in the MCM Toolbox programme.
Teaming with Hydroid allows OIP to offer a powerful MCM package that includes the operational Seagull multi-mission Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV); an effective acoustic underwater communication technology; advanced Electro Optic systems; and Hydroid's innovative and widely deployed REMUS Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and its autonomous Deployment & Retrieval System (DRS).
Acquired by Kongsberg, a technology leader, in 2008 coupled with a 17-year reputation for developing and manufacturing reliable AUV systems, position Hydroid REMUS AUVs as the most trusted in the market. Having accumulated extensive operational track record with over 450 of Hydroid's REMUS AUV systems deployed in more than 20 countries in various applications, REMUS AUVs are largely used for defense applications, specifically mine countermeasures.
Freddy Versluys, CEO of OIP Sensor Systems,said: "We are proud to form this excellent team. Our integrated solution is a powerful, precise and extensively tested package that provides a robust, effective and efficient answer to the customer's operational needs."
"We are pleased to be teaming with OIP on the MCM Toolbox programme," saidDuane Fotheringham, President of Hydroid. "Together, our technology and capabilities provide a complete MCM solution that serves as a crucial component for increasing our customer's mine action capability."
