Military communications on operations are to be further enhanced, thanks to a new £400 million contract to use a new satellite, the Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, Quentin Davies, has announced. The Skynet 5D, which is the fourth satellite of its kind to be used by the MoD, is roughly three times the length of a double decker bus and will be launched in 2013 to play a key role in gathering intelligence on operations.
The satellite will also be used to provide the telephone and Internet welfare support facilities for Service personnel on operations. Quentin Davies added, “Future operations require that our Armed Forces be given access to the best possible communications and this new satellite will go a long way to ensuring this. This value for money package not only builds upon a tried and tested capability for the Armed Forces, but also secures hundreds of jobs in a very important field of technology.”
The build of Skynet 5D will directly create around 100 new jobs, mainly at EADS Astrium’s sites in Portsmouth and Stevenage. It will also sustain approximately 800 jobs at these sites and in Corsham, Wiltshire, at Paradigm’s Hawthorn site.
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