The industry and departments of defence in six European countries have joined together to develop the next generation of standardised software defined radio (SDR). The organisation behind the order is Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement (OCCAR) on behalf of the armed forces of Finland, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Italy and France, via the European Defence Agency (EDA).
The contract for European Secure Software defined Radio (ESSOR), which is worth more than SEK1.1 B in total, was signed by a joint venture created by six international companies—EB, INDRA, Radmor, Saab, Selex Communication and Thales Communication. The standardisation being developed will facilitate a secure and robust collaboration between different nations.
The standardised SDR software will enable the functionality of several different radio equipment on the same SDR radio platform. This means that the users will be free from the constraints of a specific radio platform, will gain access to new and more advanced functionality, and at the same time will be able to interact with existing radio systems, whether they are military or civil and commercial.