£500 million military communications satellite contract

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has confirmed that a new military communications satellite is set to keep troops safe across the globe for decades to come, thanks to a £500 million contract.

Built by Airbus Defence and Space, SKYNET 6A will guarantee our Armed Forces fast, secure and reliable communications from thousands of miles above, wherever they are deployed.

SKYNET 6A will use some of the most advanced technology available, including a higher radio frequency spectrum and the latest in digital processing to provide more capacity, speed and greater versatility than its predecessor system the SKYNET 5 constellation.

The contract, worth £500 million, is the latest investment in the technological safeguards that help our Armed Forces deter threats from anywhere in the world, including Russia and China, securing UK leadership in defensive space and cyber operations for generations to come.

Wallace said: “To safeguard our military on operations around the world we need to ensure that we protect their communications on land, sea or in air. The newest contested frontier is space and so we need to provide resilience and better communications for our forces. SKYNET 6A is one of many solutions we shall be investing in over the next decade. This government recognises the urgent need to defend and promote space capabilities.”