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PARIS (BNS): French defence firm Sagem has received a contract from missile manufacturer MBDA to supply nearly 200 infrared seekers for the Mica air-to-air missiles.

The company announced the deal on Tuesday without disclosing financial details.

The Mica IR seeker is a key to the missile's operational effectiveness. It also functions as a sensor providing tactical information to the flight crew, because of its high sensitivity, powerful imaging algorithms, bispectral imagery, automatic acquisition of all targets, ability to lock-on before or after firing, discrimination between targets and countermeasures.

Sagem produces Mica IR seekers in its Poitiers plant in France.

The company has already produced over 1,000 Mica IR seekers to date for the Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighters of the French air force and navy, and for foreign air forces, including Morocco's modernised Mirage F1s.

The latest contract consolidates the longstanding partnership between missile manufacturer MBDA and Sagem for infrared guided missiles, the company said.

Sagem has already produced more than 30,000 seekers for MBDA's Magic, Mistral and VL Mica (Vertical Launch) missiles.