The Australian Defense Force’s (ADF) deal with Intelsat to purchase a specialized UHF communications payload aboard the IS-22 satellite represented the best value-for-money tender received during its industry solicitation process, an ADF spokesperson said.
    IS-22’s “capability meets our strategic needs over the Indian Ocean Region, will be delivered in a timeframe that meets our needs and will reduce our [satellite communications] lease operating costs over the 15 year life of the IS-22 capability,” the spokesperson, who asked not to be named, said.
    As part of the $167 million hosted payload contract, Intelsat will arrange for the construction and integration of the UHF payload with the IS-22, scheduled for launch in 2012. Under the agreement, Intelsat is expected to operate the ADF payload and provide related services for 15 years following the launch.
    According to the spokesperson, the future of the ADF’s wideband communications will be the delivery and operation of the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) system, for which Australia and the United States have partnered. “Joint Project 2008 is a multi-phase program, which is delivering WGS and the IS-22 capabilities together with a major wideband ground station in Western Australia. The program will continue to develop defense [satellite communications] through Defence Capability Plan proposals which seek to equip the ADF with a fleet of transportable terminals ranging from small to large aperture systems designed to match the land force requirements for bandwidth and mobility in the field,” the spokesperson said.
    The future of narrowband, however, will be delivery and the operation of a UHF hosted payload over the Indian Ocean Region and “the ongoing employment of the UHF payload of Optus C1,” the spokesperson said.
    With U.S. commercial and military partnerships in place, the Australian government believes it has nearly enough capability for the next 20 years. Despite satisfying its long-term needs, the ADF’s bandwidth demands will steadily increase, according to the spokesperson. “The information exchange requirements of Australian deployed forces in all environments continues to increase. It is driven by the introduction of advanced surveillance systems generating increased quantities of data and advanced command support, logistic support and medical support tools. This data needs to be distributed around the battlespace and between the deployed force and the defense strategic network. In this environment, enhanced bandwidth in wideband communications remains essential to the continued success of the ADF.”