Australia : Raytheon awarded a $69 million contract to deliver faster and more reliable communications on the battlefield

The Hon. Jason Clare MP
Minister for Defence Materiel.

MR 24

21 January 2011

  Better communications system to help keep soldiers safe

"Defence today signed a $69 million contract to deliver faster and more reliable communications on the battlefield.

Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare said the contract with Raytheon would provide:

• more than 1000 radios, which will be mounted on Army vehicles, primarily Bushmasters and M113 armoured vehicles, and handheld portable radios to be carried by soldiers in the field;
• equipment needed to mount and operate the radios; and
• maintenance and support services for three years.

These new radios will give frontline soldiers and the Commanders directing them instant information on where they are, where they need to be and what is happening around them,” Mr Clare said.

Right now, the Army is using an older, analogue system which is fast becoming obsolete.

It’s served our troops well, but it’s time to move the Army forward into the digital age.

This new system will be faster and more reliable, allowing troops to communicate instantly with the central command post.

It will help Commanders plan better by giving them more accurate and timely information about what is happening on the ground.

This will help keep our soldiers safe.

It’s the next step in our plan to deliver a fully digital communications system to the Army.”