Saab is providing support services for the Australian Defense Force's Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar System capability under a new $18.5 million contract.

The contract, which includes five one-year options, could run until 2024.

Saab said the C-RAM capability components to be supported under this contact are Saab's Giraffe agile multi-beam radar, Giraffe training simulator and a lightweight counter-mortar radar, which Australia had purchased in 2010 to support its troops in Afghanistan.

"The Giraffe AMB radar maintained an operational availability of 98.5 percent in Afghanistan and was the first layer of defense against insurgent rocket attacks for the Australian-led coalition base at Tarin Kot," said Dean Rosenfield, managing director of Saab Australia.

"This contract is a boost to local industry with additional positions through the period of the contract to manage the Australian sub-supplier network and deep maintenance services from our headquarters in Adelaide."

C-RAM provides detection and warning against small, mobile and hard-to-find threats such as rocket and mortar fire.

Saab Australia's in-service support team for the work includes Saab in Sweden and SRCTec in the United States, which will provide through-life support to the AN/TPQ-49 lightweight counter-mortar radar.