Airbus Defence and Space delivers satellite communications to Royal Navy vessels.

Airbus Defence and Space has successfully delivered full operational capabilities for X-band satellite communications – comprising Deployable Maritime Milsat (DMM) satellite services that use the Skynet 5 constellation – to four UK Royal Navy Mine Counter Measure Vessels (MCMVs) operating in the Arabian Gulf, ahead of equipping additional vessels.

Commanding officers onboard these MCMVs now benefit from full military communications capability at all classification levels, enabling improved operations in bandwidth-hungry ISTAR operations. These services form part of Airbus Defence and Space’s AuroraGlobal portfolio providing integrated satcom solutions, ensuring that vessels are fully connected to the wider maritime coalition network using the latest global IP baseband (GiN) infrastructure.

This programme is an example of how Airbus Defence and Space is working with the UK Ministry of Defence to achieve optimal value for existing assets, by consistently updating associated technologies and infrastructure to meet the growing and evolving demands of users.

“Communications and information are critical to warfare. Not only has the new DMM satcom fit made routine work faster and more efficient, but I am now able to engage effectively at the Task Group level securely and effortlessly,” said Lieutenant Commander Ashley Spencer, Commanding Officer on HMS Ramsey. “My situational awareness tools have been enhanced by the upgrade and my capacity to receive processed intelligence much improved.”

Airbus Defence and Space is set to equip an additional two vessels in the UK with full capability and is in discussions with the UK MoD to extend it across the full MCMV fleet.

“The Armed Forces in the UK need to have the most advanced capabilities possible, with vessels equipped to play a complete role in future operations,” said Colin Paynter, Head of UK government satellite communications at Airbus Defence and Space. “Airbus Defence and Space has worked closely with the Royal Navy to design, test and deliver this important capability to this MCMV programme.”