The Alliance for ESSOR (a4ESSOR) has received a $58 million contract from the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) to start a new phase of the European Secure Software defined Radio (ESSOR) programme.

ESSOR Operational Capability 1 (OC1) will run for 45 months, and aims to enhance the operational capabilities of the ESSOR High Data Rate Waveform (HDR WF), in order to meet requirements of the battlefield with secure, high capacity land tactical communications.

The OC1 phase will also look to define the basis for managing the life cycle of the HDR WF in operational use.

Mandate for the continuation of the programme and for OCCAR to act as the contracting authority came from five participant states: Finland, France, Italy, Poland, and Spain.

Work under the OC1 phase will be carried out in collaboration between members of the a4ESSOR industrial consortium: Bittium, Indra, Leonardo, Radmor and Thales.

The ESSOR programme has been developing the European Software Defined Radio technology for its operational use in coalition scenarios. The previous phase of the ESSOR programme has proven the success of the multinational joint industrial development and implementation of the broadband networking waveform on a number of radio platforms provided by members of the consortium.

The ESSOR HDR WF has been demonstrated at a number of showcases in different conditions, and the capabilities and functionalities of the waveform were successfully demonstrated in battlefield conditions, showing how the ESSOR HDR WF allows land forces of different European countries to communicate seamlessly with each other in joint operations, linking up via a common waveform regardless of the radio platforms they use.