Joint Purchase of Maritime Satellite Communications Terminals for Warships

The Hon. Greg Combet MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement, today announced that the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) has signed a contract with BAE Systems Australia Ltd for the joint supply of five maritime satellite communications terminals.>> Mr Combet said the maritime satellite communications terminals contract for the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) and Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) Amphibious Ships programs would result in an estimated direct saving of $20m to the Commonwealth.>> The $52.9m deal is an extension to an existing contract which has already seen the successful delivery of 14 satellite terminals, on-time and on-budget, Mr Combet said.>> The concurrent purchase of terminals for both major ship programs and utilisation of the existing supply chain generates major savings and lowers the risk of the procurement, achieving a win-win for all parties.>> The DMO has worked exceptionally hard together with BAE Systems and AWD Alliance partner Raytheon Australia to ensure the requirements of the two major ship programs are met, and to lock-in these significant savings within a limited timeframe, Mr Combet said.>> The maritime satellite communications terminals, known as MASTIS provide a major enhancement to the Royal Australian Navys operations and life at sea through the delivery of vastly increased bandwidth.>> -ends->