UK awards £89 million contract to BAE Systems to enhance battlefield communications
BAE Systems has been awarded a contract to develop Trinity WAN to improve battlefield communications. (Photo: UK MoD/Crown Copyright)
The UK MoD has awarded an £89 million ($113 million) contract to BAE Systems to develop the deployable tactical wide area network (WAN) known as Trinity to provide highly secure battlefield internet capabilities.
The five-year contract will see BAE lead a consortium including Kellogg, Brown and Root, PA Consulting and L3Harris, to design and manufacture Trinity.
It is intended to deliver a highly secure and state-of-the-art frontline internet capability to UK forces which will sustain battlefield awareness and intelligence-sharing during conventional and asymmetric attacks.
Trinity’s resilience is based on its composition. It is made up of a series of nodes, each able to add, access and move data in a secure network. If a number of nodes are damaged in warfare, the rest automatically re-route to maintain optimum network speed and flow of information.
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Group managing director at BAE Systems’ digital intelligence business David Armstrong said: ‘Trinity will empower the UK armed forces with a better view of what is happening, enabling them to make swift, informed decisions when and where it matters most.’
Trinity is a sub-programme within the Land Environment Tactical Communications and Information Systems dossier which also consists of Bowman ComBAT Infrastructure and Platform 5.6, the Morpheus sub-programme, Joint Common Remote Viewing Terminal, Dismounted Soldier Awareness, Falcon and multiple delivery and support projects.
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