The Syracuse 4B military communications satellite was launched into space on an Ariane 5 rocket. (Photo: Ariane space.)
Airbus and Thales Alenia Space successfully launched the Syracuse 4B military communications satellite on 5 July, the second space segment of Syracuse IV, which will provide military communications for France alongside Syracuse 4A, launched in 2021.
The system will provide fourth-generation secure military satellite communications for the French Armament General Directorate, the French Air Force and the French Space Command.
It was launched from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana and was the last launch of Ariane 5, the European heavy launcher.
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The satellite features critical technologies such as anti-jamming, cyber-defence, and data encryption technologies to guarantee service continuity and resilience.
The company stated that Syracuse IV would ‘deliver increased capacity and enhanced functionality … including higher throughput and flexibility, along with a broader coverage area’.
‘The increased flexibility will ensure the satellites can meet the needs of forces deployed anywhere in the coverage area, while also efficiently managing its X-band and Ka-band resources.’
Syracuse 4B is based on the Airbus Eurostar E3000 platform and is embarking the same payload as Syracuse 4A, built by Thales Alenia Space with critical components provided by Airbus.
In the frame of the global Syracuse co-contract, Airbus is responsible for the Syracuse 4B satellite, and Thales Alenia Space is responsible for the Syracuse 4A satellite as well as both payloads with key components provided by Airbus.
Clavister CyberArmour, an integrated defence cybersecurity system, will be used on BAE Systems Hägglunds’ CV90 platform in deployments with a Scandinavian country, as well as in an eastern European nation.
The tactical satellite (TacSat) is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system and will participate in exercises in 2025.
The airborne three-domain, the two ground-based and the ¼ ATR OpenVPX-based cross-domain systems were engineered to provide real-time security across multi-domain operations.
DARPA’s Mission-Integrated Network Control (MINC) programme was set up to develop an autonomous tactical network and enable critical data flow in contested environments.
Why space is an essential part of modern military capabilities
Defence-secure mixed reality headsets can save hours, or even weeks, of travel time to fix defunct equipment or get subject experts effectively “on-site” where they are needed.
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