The Skynet 5A satellite, launched in March 2007, provides secure beyond line of sight communications to the U.K. Ministry of Defense. Photo: Airbus Defence and Space

[Via Satellite 11-10-2016] Airbus Defence and Space has signed GigaSat to its channel partner program for Skynet services in a partnership that will enable Gigasat to provide Skynet 5 military satcom services to its Indonesian customer base. GigaSat will be offering Skynet services as part of their mobile and fly-away communications portfolio, to Indonesian Defence Forces operating within the Asia-Pacific region.

After moving the Skynet 5A satellite from 6 degrees east to 95 degrees east in 2015 to provide global X-band and Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) coverage in the Asia-Pacific, Airbus Defence and Space is working with service providers to develop new partnerships to deliver highly Skynet military satellite communication services to the region.

Airbus owns and operates the Skynet X-band satellite constellation of eight satellites and the ground network to provide all Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communications to the U.K. Ministry of Defence. The contract also allows other NATO and allied governments to use the Skynet system to augment their existing services.