The Australian Government has given second pass approval for the acquisition of satellite terminals for deployed land forces, upgrades to existing satellite terminals and terminal monitoring and control systems, as part of Joint Project 2008 Phase 5B1. Approximately $180 million has been approved for the acquisition.
Satellite communications are a critical enabler of Australian Defence Force (ADF) operations, connecting our troops on the ground with command and control, intelligence, geospatial and logistics information.
The project will provide a significant increase in Defence’s satellite communications capabilities, including the first large terminals capable of adequately supporting deployed headquarters. It will also upgrade existing terminals and establish networked terminal monitoring and control systems.
This investment will significantly increase the ADF utilisation of the United States of America Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) system, by providing increased capacity to deployed forces.
Raytheon Australia will provide the terminals with their subcontractor, L-3 communications. The terminals will be allocated to various deployable units of the ADF throughout Australia.
Australia requires assured access to space services for both national and economic security, and this is yet another important step forward in developing Australia’s defence force capabilities.