Page 40 - Australian Defence Magazine November 2019

COMMS AND C4I
SATCOMS
KATHERINE ZIESING | CANBERRA
When it comes to comms, most of us are users;
we push the button, magic happens and our desired information appears at the other end. JP9102 is the magic in the middle, looking to bring ADF satcom technology into the next generation of technology from the ground and into space.
JP9102:
A case of true collaboration
The Viasat 2 launch.
AS outlined in the most recent industry briefing for the program, ‘the Australian Defence Satcom System (ASDSS) is to en- able the Joint Command and Control of de- ployed Joint Task Forces through resilient and responsive communications beyond the range and capacity of other communi- cation systems.’
Looking to cover both high mobility nar- rowband and high capacity wideband de- mand in the ADF across all domains as well as the land-based elements, the program has broken down its approach into a number of constituent parts to eat the elephant.
The ASDSS has a broad option set char- acterised by:
• Rapidly evolving technologies
• Increasing demand for higher and mul-
tiple frequency bands
• Increasing trend for communications sat-
ellites to adopt more complex orbits
• Increasing opportunities for partnering
with industry or international partners
• Increased opportunities with peer space
capabilities, not just satcom
• Considerations for Australian industry
and the Australian Space Agency
• Considerations for significant invest-
ments made to date via JP 2008
In order to address the multibillion- dollar program (ADM understands the total program spend will be between $4-5 billion), the program office worked closely with the Australian Defence Information & Electronic Systems Association (ADIE- SA) to engage with industry on the art of the possible.
“We recently held our ADIESA Board Strategy day where we discussed our vi- sion for the organisation and how we can support Defence and industry to deliver
40 | November 2019 | www.australiandefence.com.au
VIASAT