The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) has selected a consortium formed by Thales EURONEXT:HO and Leonardo MIL:LDO to provide secure deployable communications systems for the alliance's special forces, the two companies said on Monday.
The project is the first phase of a larger NATO programme to equip the Allied Special Operations Forces Command (SOFCOM) with advanced communication and information systems (CIS) aimed at improving the alliance's resilience for modern warfare, Leonardo and Thales said in a joint statement.
The contract covers delivery and training for six deployable headquarters for SOFCOM, providing communication systems tailored to the needs of NATO's special forces.
The project aims to supply NATO with "zero-day" deployable IT infrastructures, a secure multi-domain environment for data exchange and full-motion video-sharing capabilities.
The communication systems can be operated and upgraded over their complete lifecycle.
The consortium will draw on technology from the UK and Germany to deliver the systems to NATO.
"We are harnessing the best of European industry in a modular, upgradable, and field-proven system, providing NATO Special Forces with next-generation deployable CIS," said Alexandre Bottero, Thales's vice president for Networks and Infrastructure Systems.