UK awards Maritime Network Evolution contract
Airbus Defence and Space will upgrade the communications networks on Royal Navy vessels under a £36 million contract announced on 8 November.
The four-year Maritime Network Evolution contract, awarded by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), covers networks on 20 vessels including Type 45 Destroyers and Queen Elizabeth class carriers.
The company will provide a solution that creates the Internet Protocol backbone of the future maritime architecture and extends the life of the military SATCOM into the mid-2020s. It will remove obsolete equipment, remove the dependency of serial services and allow platforms to have the ability to select their own communication bearers for operations.
Richard Franklin, head of secure communications, Airbus Defence and Space, said: ‘For more than a decade now we have provided the UK with maritime communications capability. With this evolution programme we continue delivering the most advanced capabilities possible to the Royal Navy.
‘This programme is an example of how efficient Airbus Defence and Space is working with the UK MoD to refresh existing technologies, keeping the infrastructure up to date and providing future proof and engineer enhanced solutions.’
More from Digital Battlespace
-
EID to unveil new vehicle communication system at DSEI
The Portuguese company’s naval communications system is in service across more than a dozen countries. It has turned to its home nation for support in developing a new vehicle based C2 system.
-
Chess Dynamics successfully demonstrates Vision4ce AI-driven tracker
The Vision4ce Deep Embedded Feature Tracking (DEFT) technology software is designed to process video and images by blending traditional computer vision with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to present actionable information from complex environments.
-
Wave Relay devices cleared for security use on commercial systems in industry trend
Persistent Systems has been cleared by National Security Agency (NSA) to transmit sensitive data on commercial networks. The devices are added to the NSA’s Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) component list which also includes other companies’ products providing the same security.
-
UK teases cyber spending boost in Strategic Defence Review ahead of “imminent” release
The release of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) has been long promised as mid-year. It is possible it could be as early as 2 June although the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) continues to play its cards close to its chest.
-
Intelsat emphasises SATCOM resilience for SOF in contested domains (video)
Intelsat outlines how its multi-orbit SATCOM architecture is enhancing connectivity and resilience for special operations forces operating in degraded and contested environments.
-
US Space Force’s next-generation missile warning system moves forward with $500 million in new contracts
Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) satellites are intended to provide early warning of missile launches from any location worldwide and new ground stations will result in expanded coverage of critical missile warning.