Northrop Grumman Australia has announced it will team with Inmarsat and L3Harris as it develops its proposal to meet the ADF’s Project JP9102 sovereign satellite communications (SATCOM) requirement.

In a November 22 release, Northrop Grumman said it and Inmarsat would collaborate to deliver an Integrated Control Segment that provides flexibility across commercial and military SATCOM networks as part of its solution. It said the two companies have already collaborated on the HEOsat program – a collaborative program between Norway and the USAF – to deliver broadband services to the Arctic region.

“As an established satellite communications provider to the ADF, we’re proud to partner with Inmarsat and build on our shared history of developing global satellite communications networks,” said Christine Zeitz, general manager, Northrop Grumman Asia Pacific.

Rajeev Suri, chief executive officer of Inmarsat, added, “Inmarsat is pleased to be partnering with Northrop Grumman Australia to meet the requirements of the ADF. Together, we provide the right balance of program delivery track record, access to advanced satellite system technology, protection against evolving threats, and sovereign assurance through long-term delivery for Australia, from Australia. Inmarsat brings highly complementary capabilities to Northrop Grumman’s JP9102 proposal. Both companies have proven delivery capability as demonstrated on current ADF satellite programs.”

In a release on November 24, Northrop Grumman said L3Harris would provide in-country ground station capability including the Australian Wide Multi-Band Terminal (WMBT, or ‘WOMBAT’) which will deliver exponential growth in capability and upgradeability over existing systems, while occupying the same ground footprint.

“Together with our partners, Northrop Grumman Australia and L3Harris will provide the Commonwealth with a sovereign, resilient end-to-end satellite communications capability solution, backed by our unmatched experience to support the future joint force and safeguard our national interests,” Christine Zeitz said.

Corporate vice president of L3Harris Australia, Alan Clements added, “L3Harris is excited to partner with Northrop Grumman Australia on JP9102 to provide an industry leading solution to the Commonwealth of Australia. Our two companies are well positioned to take the best of breed and leverage a strong and smart industrial base in Australia to grow Australia’s capabilities in the space domain.”