EM Solutions to upgrade RAN satcom systems

The King Cobra deployed for operation on an undisclosed naval vessel. EM Solutions has secured a contract to supply multiple King Cobra and Cobra satcom terminals to the RAN under Project Sea 1442 Phase 5. (EM Solutions)

EM Solutions, a subsidiary of Australia's Electro Optic Systems, has secured a contract to modernise the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) satellite communications (satcom) systems under the Department of Defence's (DoD's) Project Sea 1442 Phase 5.

A spokesperson for EM Solutions told Janes on 20 June that the contract will run over the next seven years, with the company replacing the primary and alternate satcom for the RAN's existing fleet of vessels with its King Cobra and Cobra satcom terminals, respectively.

The contract is valued at about AUD150 million (USD101.9 million) and will include an additional AUD50 million in “material and service purchases” by the DoD once the initial deliveries by EM Solutions for Project Sea 1442 Phase 5 are approved, the company said in a media release on 16 June.

The spokesperson said that the King Cobra and Cobra terminals will strengthen the “flexibility, resilience, and reliability” of the RAN's satcom capabilities.

The King Cobra and Cobra terminals “increase [the RAN's] choices of what satellite constellations can be used” and are able to provide access to new constellations that can deliver higher bandwidth and data throughput, the spokesperson added.

The King Cobra and Cobra are multiband terminals operating at X- and Ka-band frequencies. They will operate on both military satcom systems such as the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) system and commercial satcom systems such as the Inmarsat Global Xpress (GX) or the O3b mPower satellite constellations, enhancing the resilience of communications to and from the ship, the spokesperson said.