The Australian authorities issued a request for information (RFI) amongst trade relating to army satellite tv for pc communication (SATCOM) programs on the finish of June 2025.
Nevertheless, it seems that the decision to trade has resurrected some features of a contract that the federal government had beforehand cancelled in direction of the top of 2024, greater than eight months in the past.
Joint Undertaking (JP)-9102, because it was identified, would have delivered a wideband and narrowband, geostationary earth orbit (GEO) SATCOM constellation till the Division of Defence (DoD) cancelled the undertaking, having changed its requirements from a single-orbit system to a multi-orbit functionality after 18-months of growth with Lockheed Martin Australia.
The resurgent Strategic Partnership Settlement (SPA)-9102, because the RFI is now identified, requests information of capabilities within the house programs market providing a narrowband, ultra-high frequency (UHF) SATCOM system, with a concentrate on resilient satellites that mitigate in opposition to electromagnetic interference.
RFI particulars
The SPA construction underneath which Australia are contemplating present SATCOM capabilities contrasts with JPs in that they supply broader scope, long run pondering, in comparison with the narrower finish functionality pursued underneath a JP construction.
The RFI is open to any firm that believes they’ve one thing to supply. This nascent stage solely requires perception into present capabilities out there right now; no choice or proposals can be made at this level, it’s purely a analysis endeavour.
After the RFI course of, the federal government will contemplate potential options and perceive what trade can present earlier than requesting particular necessities. A proposal part will seemingly comply with a while later.
At current, the Australia Defence Forces rely on a collection of SATCOM systems. One in every of which is a US-managed system, the Wideband World SATCOM manufactured by Boeing.
However even with out entry to WGS, Australia has some business capabilities which embrace a communications payload, in addition to a UHF communications payload on a satellite tv for pc that covers the Indian Ocean.
Self-reliance and quick entry are nonetheless the principle causes for the procurement of a sovereign system.
To that finish, on 14 July 2025, the Australian authorities additionally announced it had agreed to offer A$4m ($2.6m) as a part of a co-funded undertaking with Optus to develop and launch a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite tv for pc.
The undertaking will assist analysis and expertise growth whereas constructing Australian sovereign experience in optical and LEO communications.
In the meantime, the SPA-9102 considers a resilient UHF satellite tv for pc that’s interoperable with present in-service person radios and Australian Community Management Stations working Built-in Waveforms.
The DoD gives voice and information connectivity between deployed ADF customers by way of an present fleet of UHF radios. Any proposed resolution must interoperate with present person radios of their present configuration.
Reversal
Australia’s newest standards underneath SPA-9102 is an odd reversal in pondering from when the federal government cancelled JP-9102, shifting their requirement to a extra versatile multi-orbit satellite tv for pc system. Now, the RFI nonetheless requires a single-orbit GEO system.
The explanation for this back-tracking is topic to hypothesis with some observers suggesting there had been a major value overrun earlier than the cancellation. Nonetheless, it would probably solid confusion over Australia’s intentions for its future space-based communications.
On the identical time, the RFI for a narrower functionality shouldn’t be construed as cutting down authorities ambitions for sovereign SATCOM, urged Dr Malcolm Davies, an Australian Strategic Coverage Institute analyst, on social media.
Nevertheless, this confusion will solely serve to hinder relations between authorities an trade, already a perennial downside in defence, for concern amongst suppliers of surprising modifications.
Though the federal government said on the time of the cancellation final yr that the choice was made in mild of the “acceleration in house applied sciences and evolving threats”, this actuality will at all times be the case at a time of worldwide – and celestial – animosity.
