The Spanish Navy, through Navantia, Spain's leading state-owned shipbuilding firm, has selected Kollmorgen Electro-Optical and its Italian subsidiary, Calzoni Srl, to provide periscopes and optronic imaging systems and hoistable masts for its new S-80 submarines. Kollmorgen and Calzoni will work in cooperation with industry partner Indra, an information technology and defense systems company in Spain, to jointly develop and build the equipment for four air independent-propulsion (AIP) diesel S-80 submarines. Designed by Navantia (formerly Bazán or Izar), the S-80s are expected to be in operation between 2011 and 2014. Calzoni, located in Bologna, Italy, will provide the hoistable masts, which raise and lower submarine sensors, including radar, electronic surveillance and communication antennae, periscopes, and optronic sensors. Michael Wall, president of Kollmorgen Electro-Optical, said the advanced submarine imaging systems will provide the Spanish fleet with 24 hour all-weather capability, and that the masts are based on the "highly successful" universal modular mast used by the US Navy on the Virginia class submarine. Kollmorgen said it was first to develop and deploy non-hull penetrating optronic imaging systems. According to the Defense Industry Daily, in July Kollmorgen Electro-Optical also received a $9.4 million modification under a previous contract from the US Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command for production of three major shore-spares for AN/BVS-1 photonics mast systems, which are installed on SSN-774 Virginia Class and SSGN Ohio Class stealth strike submarines. Work will be performed in Northampton; Seattle; Westfield, Mass.; Boston; Joplin, Mo.; Cincinnati; Orlando, Fla.; and Hackensack, N.J.; and is expected to be complete by July 2009. "The photonics mast is a non-hull penetrating electronic imaging subsystem of the command and control system," the article said. "It incorporates visible, infrared and electronic support measures sensors and stealth features that will provide new capabilities for attack submarines. In addition, its use changes the internal layout of submarines that use them in important and useful ways." The subsystem is comprised of the sensor, mast, data transmission and control/display groups. For more information, visit: www.eo.kollmorgen.com