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h.
i.
for Royal Navy helicopters is in progress;
electronic warfare equipment for the three
Services, including sophisticated electronic
countermeasures equipment for the MKCA and
search receivers for Royal Navy ships;
a variety of night-vision aids for use on
weapons and in vehicles, improving the
Services' ability to move and fight by night;
the Ptarmigan tactical trunk communications
system for the Army and Royal Air Force in
Central Europe. Ptarmigan is designed to
conform with the standard EUROCOM character-
istics agreed by the Eurogroup, to ensure that
it will be compatible with the future communi-
cations systems of our Allies.
SHIPS AND EQUIPMENT
Ship Propulsion
24.
Considerable effort is being devoted to
R & D on propulsion units for the future Fleet. For
surface ships the Royal Navy has made considerable use of
gas-turbine engines derived from aircraft engines, using the
Rolls Royce Tyne and Olympus. By the end of the 1970s, most
new surface units of the Fleet will be powered by marine gas-
turbine engines. Development work is in hand on both the
Tyne and the Olympus to increase the period between overhauls.
Work is also going ahead to improve une yne's performance.
VII-9
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