http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=3120467 &C=europe Posted 10/22/07 21:36 Italian Companies Find Foothold in Pakistani Market By TIM KINGTON ROME - European missile house MDBA has signed to supply the Pakistan Air Force with the Spada 2000 air defense system, produced by the Italian-controlled part of the firm, MBDA Italia. The signing follows a previous deal by Italy's Galileo Avionica to sell its Falco UAV to Pakistan. The two deals have yet to be confirmed by the manufacturers, possibly due to contractual stipulations, even though the Spada signing was reportedly carried out in August and Falco deliveries are well under way. MBDA Chief Executive Antoine Bouvier declined to comment when asked about the Spada contract at the DSEI show in London last month, although industrial sources confirmed the sale. The C-130 transportable Spada system, which is used by Italy and Spain, uses a 60-kilometer-range radar and two firing sections, each containing two missile launchers hosting six Aspide 2000 missiles each. The missiles can intercept targets more than 20 kilometers away. Industrial sources said the Spada system had beaten competition from Raytheon, Diehl BGT and Saab to win the Pakistan contract. MBDA Italia represents the 25 percent stake held in MBDA by Italy's Finmeccanica group. Finmeccanica unit Galileo Avionica has meanwhile completed delivery of one Falco UAV system to Pakistan, with a second system due for delivery and an option on a third. Each system contains four UAVs and a ground control station. The medium-altitude surveillance UAV, which made its debut flight in 2003, is built to host electro-optic and infrared sensors, as well as radar if required. Pakistan is reportedly taking some sensors from Galileo Avionica as part of the deal and adding some of its own. As the Falco is deployed by Pakistan, the Italian Air Force's Predator UAVs, also assembled by Galileo Avionica in Italy under license from General Atomics, are flying across the Pakistan border in Afghanistan and one was used in September to track kidnappers escaping with two captured Italian intelligence agents. The agents were subsequently freed by U.K. and Italian special forces, although both were wounded in the operation, with one subsequently dying. å E-mail: tkington@defensenews.com.