UNITED KINGDOM
LAND
22 Aug 23. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded BAE Systems an £89m contract to enhance front-line connectivity for military personnel, linking small reconnaissance drones, combat vehicles, fighter jets, aircraft carriers and military commands. Modern battles are fought across land, sea, air, space, cyber and electronic warfare. Rapidly evolving technologies mean each domain is highly contested so it is vital that militaries maintain control of their communications in these challenging environments. The new five-year contract will see BAE Systems lead a consortium of trusted partners, including Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR), PA Consulting and L3 Harris, to design and manufacture a deployable tactical Wide Area Network (WAN) known as ‘Trinity’. This will deliver a highly-secure and state-of-the-art battlefield internet capability to UK forces which will sustain battlefield awareness and intelligence sharing through a myriad of adversarial attacks.
TECHNOLOGY
30 Aug 23. CPI TMD Technologies Awarded contract. A team of industry and research partners led by the TMD Technologies Division of Communications & Power Industries (CPI) has been awarded more than £4m by Innovate UK’s SBRI Quantum-enabled positioning, navigation and timing systems competition, which issues contracts for pre-commercial procurement of innovative solutions, enabled by quantum technologies, to public sector challenges. Under this contract, CPI TMD Technologies and its partners will develop exceptionally high-precision quantum-enabled positioning, navigation and timing systems that can be used to identify an object’s exact position in time and space without the use of satellite signals. (Source: PR Newswire)
EUROPE
SEA
31 Aug 23. Thales and Naval Group to provide through-life support for France’s multi-mission frigates. The FREMM through-life support contract, which came into effect in January 2023, is one of the largest support contracts awarded to Thales by Naval Group since the creation of the French Navy’s Fleet Support Service (SSF). It will guarantee the at-sea availability of the Navy’s eight multi-mission frigates based in Brest and Toulon. Thales will draw on its industrial resources and product expertise to support the warships, ensure the day-to-day availability of their on-board systems and sustain their operational capabilities over the long term.
USA
LAND
30 Aug 23. Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions Division today announced it has been selected by the Air National Guard (ANG) to provide Tactical Data Link (TDL) test and training solutions in support of the DoD’s Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) program. Under the contract, for which Atlantic Diving Supply (ADS) is acting as prime contractor, Curtiss-Wright will provide the ANG with its TCG BOSS (Battlefield Operations Support System) TDL testing, simulation, and training solution. TCG BOSS will be used to accelerate the implementation of TDLs, such as Link 16. The TDLs serve as the communications backbone of the JADC2 program, throughout the ANG. TCG BOSS will also be used to train ANG personnel on the correct and optimal usage of TDLs during peacetime and conflict. The lifetime value of the contract, which began in May 2023, is estimated to be $3.5m. It is scheduled to run through 2026. This contract represents the first major upgrade to ANG training centers in recent years, as well as the first time that TCG TDL solutions have been selected to support this ANG program. The products covered under this agreement are produced in Tewksbury, MA and will be shipped to 10 different ANG sites throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
AIR
21 Aug 23. OneWeb Technologies, a global provider of high-speed, low latency, secure, multi-orbit satellite network solutions, announced today it was awarded a Commercial Satellite Communications Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (p-LEO) contract from the U.S. Space Force (USSF), Space Systems Command (SSC), Commercial Space Office (CSO), and Commercial Satellite Communications Office (CSCO). The 10-year p-LEO contract was awarded to OneWeb Technologies with a $900m dollar ceiling. This significant achievement solidifies OneWeb Technologies’ position as a trusted government solutions partner, and a leading provider of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite services, in the rapidly evolving field of satellite communications. The DoD’s use of commercial satellite communications (COMSATCOM) bandwidth is managed by SSC’s CSCO. Under the DoD’s acquisition plan, the CSCO ensures the needs of various U.S. military organizations and DoD customers are met by matching them with COMSATCOM bandwidth and services. OneWeb Technologies is among a limited number of LEO satellite solutions providers selected to receive the p-LEO award contract, and one of only two very small aperture terminal (VSAT) data LEO satellite service providers currently offering live services. (Source: PR Newswire)
REST OF THE WORLD
LAND
21 Aug 23. Creomagic Ltd., a pioneering communications manufacturer based in Israel, has been awarded a significant contract by an undisclosed Tier-1 defence customer to provide lightweight tactical video and communication kits tailored for K9 operations. The contract is estimated at hundreds of units worth several millions of US Dollars. Creomagic will showcase its communication technology portfolio, including its newly released CreoHub HP man-portable radio, at the upcoming Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition in London. The new K9 systems will enable live video and voice transmission from K9 dogs to their human handlers and team leaders, ensuring uninterrupted near-real-time footage and voice in hostage release situations, search and rescue missions and other complex operational scenarios. The contract is a result of a competitive test campaign conducted in various operational settings, ranging from private houses and public buildings to city markets, forestry, basements, and mountainous areas. Throughout these tests, Creomagic’s communication systems demonstrated law latency video transmission, telemetry and voice commands. (Source: joint-forces.com)
28 Aug 23. Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY), has signed a contract with Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Norway, valued at roughly $31m to provide its Cerberus® XL mobile counter-unmanned aerial system (UAS) as part of a total C-UAS solution for Ukraine. The agreement includes delivery of the surveillance platforms as well as software, spares, support and training. Kongsberg recently signed an agreement with the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) to deliver counter-drone systems that will be donated to the war-torn nation. The IFU was established by the UK and international partners to identify and procure critical capabilities and deliver them quickly to Ukraine. Norway and the UK are among many nations that have contributed to the fund. Cerberus XL combines an advanced thermal/visual imaging system with highly sensitive radar sensors onto a mobile platform to rapidly locate and track UAS targets. Kongsberg then feeds information from Cerberus into its remote weapons station to disable and defeat the threat. (Source: Google/BUSINESS WIRE)
AIR
14 Aug 23. Marshall Aerospace has secured a contract to perform two crucial modifications and extensive servicing on the South African Air Force’s (SAAF) C-130 fleet, as well as supporting subsequent incountry modification work. Marshall previously led a comprehensive multi-year upgrade programme for the SAAF C-130 fleet roughly 20 years ago. The programme entailed installation of a digital autopilot, flight displays, a navigation systems upgrade, communications and self-defence integration, and enhancements to the electrical generation system. Since the completion of these upgrades, in-country maintenance of the fleet has been performed by Denel (a state-owned maintenance, repair and overhaul facility). Marshall will initially modify one aircraft, replacing the existing Secondary Flight Display (SFD) and implementing an Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast – Out (ADSB-Out) – an internationally required system for determining and periodically broadcasting the aircraft’s location without the use of ground-based interrogation signals. Following testing and verification of these modifications on the first aircraft, Marshall will also supply Denel with service bulletin kits containing all parts, components and instructions needed to perform the same modifications on four additional C-130 aircraft in South Africa. Marshall will also train Denel and SAAF technicians on the modification implementation processes. Under the new contract, Marshall will also perform depth maintenance, which will involve comprehensive inspections, repairs, and rectification. The first of the SAAF aircraft arrived at Cambridge on Friday 11th August ahead of modification work.
15 Aug 23. Satcom Direct Avionics, the Canadian division of Satcom Direct (SD), has won a competitive bid to deliver multi-band aeronautical connectivity services for Shared Services Canada (SSC) and its clients for a period of up to seven years. This represents the first signing of such an agreement between the two entities, which will see SD Avionics provide appropriately secured high-speed broadband and datalink services, hardware, hosting, and infrastructure services to support global aeronautical missions for SSC and other federal Canadian government bodies. The deal will be supported by value-added services, including training and customer support, as well as regular upgrades of the technology. Through SSC, Canadian government users will benefit from easy ordering access to quickly establish worldwide connectivity delivered through multiple band airtime services, including Ka, Ku, and L-band options. As an Inmarsat Tier 1 Distribution Partner and Value-Added Reseller, SD will support the full range of Inmarsat aviation services including Global Xpress (GX) airtime powered by the Ka-band Global Xpress constellation, SwiftBroadband and Classic Aeronautical services; Ku-band services will be powered by the Intelsat FlexAir network. As an approved Tier 1 Value Added Reseller for Iridium SD will also support Iridium Airtime, Voice and Low Data Throughput services as well as Iridium Short Burst and Short Message Service (SMS) services and Iridium Certus Airtime services. The aggregated group of services and optimization of multi-orbit capabilities will ensure SD facilitates enhanced high-speed broadband connectivity solutions to provide airborne users with seamless, continuous, and reliable worldwide mobile connectivity. The aeronautical services will be supported by SD’s comprehensive terrestrial network to ensure appropriately secured transmission of all SSC customers’ data from aircraft to the Canadian federal government specified locations. Combined, the services will ensure always-on global connectivity, even in the most geographically challenging environments. The contract is confirmed for an initial period of three years with four additional one-year options. SD Avionics is responsible for fulfilling the acquisition requests, delivering consistent connectivity, and providing customer support as and when needed by SSC representatives and clients. The SSC mandate is to provide modern, appropriately secured, and reliable information technology (IT) services to government entities. It also supports Canadian citizens’ access to government benefits and services from anywhere, at any time, from any device.