The OTP tactical communications terminals will be installed in French Army Serval vehicles. (Image: Thales)
Thales has been selected by the French Armament General Directorate (DGA) to supply 30 dual-band X/Ka satellite communication stations for the French Army which will link vehicles to the Syracuse IV satellite system of two communication satellites.
The contract is the latest development in the Syrcause IV ground segment programme, for which Thales is prime contractor, and will see the on-the-pause (OTP) systems installed in Serval light multi-role armoured vehicles.
The deal has followed an earlier order for the deployment of satcom stations on French Navy surface vessels and submarines, and for the development and production of fixed and mobile stations for land and air forces. These include Mercure on-the-move (OTM) stations for the French Army’s Griffon and Serval vehicles and airborne stations for the French Air Force’s wide-body aircraft.
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In February 2022, Thales announced it was leading a team to equip the Phénix Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) and other French Air and Space Force aircraft with a secure SATCOM solution under a 17-year contract within the Syracuse IV military communications programme.
The two satellites in the Syracuse IV system, Syracuse 4A and Syracuse 4B, were built for the French DGA by the consortium of Airbus Defence and Space and a consortium of Thales Alenia Space.
As the lead contractor, Thales Alenia Space was responsible for the Syracuse 4A satellite, launched in 2021, and also the payloads for both satellites. Airbus Defence and Space is in charge of the Syracuse 4B satellite launched in 2023 and also supplies key components for the two payloads.
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.
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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.
The Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (JCREW) counter-improvised explosive device (C-IED) and Drone Restricted Access Using Known Electromagnetic Warfare (DRAKE) counter-UAS (CUAS) systems are mounted and dismounted RF jammers.
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