Under a four-year framework signed between Airbus and Norway’s Defense Logistic Organization (NDLO), the country’s military forces will get access to the Skynet X-band satellites for communications applications, the company said on June 8.
Airbus is committed to provide up to 30 Mhz of capacity annually on the satellite constellation. This will augment Norway’s communications in maritime, land, and aeronautical missions across Northern Europe, the Arctic, and for all global Allied nations missions, the company noted.
Within the Skynet Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract, Airbus already owns and operates the hardened Skynet 5 X-band satellite constellation and a ground network to provide Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communications to the U.K. Ministry of Defense. This contract also allows other NATO and Allied governments to use Skynet to enhance their existing services and to benefit from Skynet’s capabilities.
“This is great news to have Norway on board as part of our extended Skynet family. We will work closely together to ensure they gain the maximum benefit from the Skynet constellation, which now provides secure X-band milsatcoms to multiple nations around the world,” Evert Dudok, an official in the Communications, Intelligence and Security (CIS) Business Line or Airbus Defence and Space, said in a statement.
“All divisions within Norwegian Defence, located both in Norway and in international theaters, will now have the opportunity to procure the most powerful satellite capacity available in the market today via the Skynet X-band satellite constellation,” Anders Øygarden, Head of Sales GC Nordic at Airbus Defence and Space, added.