Airbus has been awarded a series of contracts during Q1 2021 from the UK MOD both as part of its programme of upgrading services for the Skynet 5 military satellite communications capability and continued work with the MOD’s Defence Digital organisation.
Activities in the maritime domain include introducing improvements for Maritime Network Evolution services to enable continued Wi-Fi access for deployed personnel while on operations improvements for eight SCOT5 FMT ships.
In addition, in a May 5 release the company stated that it had also been awarded a contract to provide Ku-band airtime for the Poseidon P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, as well as agreeing renewals to provide continued Ku-band airtime support for the UK’s MQ-9A Reaper UAVs.
The Skynet 5 programme, managed by Airbus, has provided the UK MOD with a suite of secure military communications services, supporting operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans. The programme was initially built on legacy Skynet 4 satellites before launching the Skynet 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D satellites between 2007 and 2012.
