Airbus enhances Belgian communications with satellite technology
Airbus will be able to offer a new UHF communications service, scheduled for launch in 2024, to the armed forces, particularly those of European countries and NATO allies. (Photo: Airbus)
The Belgian Ministry of Defence has contracted Airbus to provide satellite communications services for 15 years.
The Belgian Armed Forces have signed a contract to access the ultra-high frequency (UHF) military communications hosted payload onboard an Airbus commercial telecommunications satellite.
Airbus’ UHF frequency band will compensate for the relative scarcity in supply around the world. The company has signed several firm orders ahead of the satellite’s scheduled launch in 2024.
The UHF payload will be operated from Airbus’s Network Operations Centre in Toulouse, enabling up to 200 simultaneous communications over much of the globe.
Military UHF satcoms have a high level of interoperability, so are useful for multinational and coalition operations.
The UHF band is very flexible and offers a lightweight, robust and highly secure means of communication.
According to the company, Airbus is the only armed forces private satcom operator to cover the full spectrum of military (UHF, X, Ka Mil) and commercial (L, C/Ku, Ka) frequency bands.
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