Thales, selected by the French Defence Procurement Agency as prime contractor for VENUS

The French Defence Procurement Agency has awarded Thales the contractorship for the Urgent Operational Requirement VENUS (nomadic command vehicles communicating via satellite) in order to equip armored vehicles with mobile satellite communication systems.

This new Satcom On-The-Move* communication capacity in X bandwidth (7 to 8 GHz) will enable mobile units to guarantee permanent tactical links on the battlefields, even in the absence of conventional radio links. The first deliveries are planned for 2010.

The Urgent Operational Requirement VENUS is the immediate application of results from in-depth studies carried out over recent years on mobile satellite communication systems. VENUS will enable the quick deployment of innovative Satcom On-the-Move stations, of unrivalled performance, on the theatre of operation.

Satmove**, Thales’s solution for the VENUS project, makes it possible to connect the vehicles to the Syracuse system, with secure links for simultaneous voice/data transmission. It encompasses an antenna, a modem and a transmission system featuring network and security functionalities, adapted to mobility requirements.

This innovative solution means that, on top of existing radio facilities, connections may be added to increase availability and the data rate of tactical communication between the different levels of command. By guaranteeing permanent command links, it also meets the needs of the mobile land units on the battlefields.

The VENUS program stations may be operated by any operational station of the Syracuse military communications system and PR4G combat stations.

For Jean-Michel Lagarde, Thales’s Director of Network Infrastructure, Satcom & Security activities, “Nowadays, On-The-Move satellite communication is essential on the theatres of operation. Thales’ expertise in the field and its capacity for innovation mean it can respond very quickly to armies operational needs.”

Thales boasts an undisputed experience in programs and large-scale military satellite communication systems such as Syracuse, Sicral, Yahsat or still its secure communications services to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) based in Afghanistan, and is further reinforced, through this contract, as a leader in the field.