18 February 2013
IDEX, Abu Dhabi 17th February 2013 – Thales has been
tasked by the French defence procurement agency (DGA) with extending the
full-IP network that supports convergence between French armed forces’ theatre
networks to the entire Syracuse military SATCOM ground segment.
The Syracuse system currently provides secure,
interoperable services to information system users in the theatre and at all levels
in the French armed forces chain of command, supporting several frequency
bands, notably X band, Ku band and EHF.
Work conducted by Thales will give the French armed forces a fast,
secure, full-IP, multi-band unified theatre network capability, operating in
the X, EHF, Ku and Ka bands. This totally interoperable, added-value network
will guarantee users uninterrupted, flexible and complementary services. It
will afford unprecedented end-to-end quality of service, encompassing tactical
networks down to the lowest theatre levels, such as Venus and Astride.
The network supports X- and Ka-band services for future “SATCOM
on-the-move” platforms—including land vehicles, ships, aircraft and unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs)—through Thales’s proven SYSTEM 21 satellite transmission
system, designed for mobility and compatible with the STANAG 4606 standard
adopted by NATO.
This approach accommodates the latest developments from Thales in France
and export markets in areas such as secure, NATO-standard modem systems,
management, operating and supervision systems, and IP networks. It will also
make it possible to optimise human resources for deployments, operations and
logistic support.
This unified, full-IP, multi-service, multi-band network is fully in
line with future joint forces theatre communications projects and with the
COMSAT NG system set to succeed Syracuse.
Thales and secure satellite
communications
Thales is a leading global supplier of secure,
end-to-end SATCOM solutions based on civilian and military satellites for land,
air and naval forces.
- Thales is
responsible for project management and implementation of the Syracuse III
ground segment and network. It is also responsible for convergence of
Astride/Syracuse theatre networks.
- Thales is prime
contractor for the French armed forces’ Venus On The Move VAB light
armoured vehicles.
- Thales’s SYSTEM 21
multi-waveform SATCOM transmission system offers anti-jam capability and
is compliant with NATO standards (deployed in France and NATO member
countries).