The Australian Department of Defense has awarded Thales Australia a contract extension for the SEA 1442 Phase 3 program.
This program focuses on the development of an Internet Protocol (IP) based Maritime Tactical Wide Area Network (MTWAN) that supports the Royal Australian Navy’s Maritime Communications Modernization and network-centric warfare priorities.
Thales’s MTWAN operates as part of the RAN’s maritime communication systems integration and implementation. The solution involves an integrated IP-based digital environment, interfacing with a range of existing RAN systems.
Over the duration of the SEA 1442 Phase 3 program, numerous next-generation improvements to the system have been implemented. This ensures that the system is future-proof, capable of supporting current and future information exchange demands, while also ensuring interoperability with joint, coalition, and allied systems.
Thales has developed and deployed several major baseline upgrades of MTWAN to support the growing demands of increased bandwidth for deployed forces, diversity of communication bearers, and enhanced cyber security of tactical networks at sea. This work has included the integration of additional commercial and military SATCOM systems, Joint Domain networks, and improved bandwidth utilization tools.
Thales further said that the contract extension would allow it to adopt and implement further next-generation improvements to the MTWAN system, ensuring that it remains future-proof and capable of supporting the RAN’s current and future information exchange demands.
“We’ve actively supported the RAN for the last 12 years with the MTWAN system, ensuring this critical capability delivers the security and reliability the RAN requires on operation. We’re proud the Commonwealth has shown confidence in its partnership with Thales Australia by extending this MTWAN support contract even further,” vice president for Digital Systems at Thales Australia & New Zealand, Peter Bull, said.
