SES ASTRA, BETZDORF, Luxembourg: SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company, has announced today that its fully owned affiliate ND SatCom, together with its partner EADS Space Services, has won a major contract with the German Armed Forces.
The contract for the next step of the German Armed Forces' satellite communications program, SATCOMBw Stufe 2, was signed today at the Federal Office of the Bundeswehr for Information Management and Information Technology. ND SatCom is a leading global supplier of satellite-based broadband VSAT, broadcast, government and defence communication network solutions.
The project with the name SATCOMBw Stufe 2 comprises the delivery of two military communication satellites, several fixed and transportable ground stations of various sizes as well as a bundle of communication services. The contract period stretches over ten years, generating an additional revenue of 180 million Euros (excluding VAT) for ND SatCom over this period, with an option for subsequent follow-up contracts. Based on the contract, ND SatCom will provide a complete ground segment containing the various user ground stations, the telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) network as well as network management for monitoring and controlling the overall system. EADS is to deliver the space segment, which mainly includes two military satellites.
In order to serve the German Armed Forces in the most efficient way, ND SatCom and EADS set up a common special purposes company named MilSat Services. EADS holds 74.9% and ND SatCom 25.1% of this company. The joint venture will be in charge of the deployment and integration of the overall system for the customer. During the following operational phase, MilSat Services will provide additional military communication services and operate the two military satellites on behalf of the German Armed Forces.
ND SatCom has a long-standing experience in implementing satellite ground segments and military network management systems and has already proven to be a competent and reliable partner to the German Armed Forces in the realization of the first stage of the SATCOMBw program. SATCOMBw Stufe 1 has been in use for four years and is – among others – deployed in Germany's NATO missions.
“We are very proud that the German Armed Forces maintain their confidence in us and entrust us with the realization of this next milestone in the satcom program”, says Dr. Karl Classen, Chairman & CEO of ND SatCom. “EADS is our ideal partner for the development and implementation of communication satellites and military communication services. The system we offer opens up possibilities to implement the latest military defence strategies. It will support the German Armed Forces in efficient communication and decision making.”
The ASTRA Satellite System is the leading Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite system in Europe, delivering services to some 107 million Direct-to-Home and cable households. SES ASTRA is an SES GLOBAL company.
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