ESSOR (European Secure SOftware defined Radio) programme continues into the development of Operational Capability 1 (OC1)
Press release
Free for publication on November 7, 2017 at 11am (CET+1)
ESSOR (European Secure SOftware defined Radio) programme continues into the development of Operational Capability 1 (OC1)
Oulu, Finland, November 7, 2017 – The joint venture a4ESSOR (Alliance for ESSOR) has been awarded a contract by OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’ARmement) to start a new phase of the ESSOR (European Secure Software defined Radio) programme, called ESSOR Operational Capability 1 (OC1). Mr. Lino Laganà, President of a4ESSOR, and Mr. Arturo Alfonso-Meiriño, Director of OCCAR, signed the contract in Bonn on November 2nd.
The ESSOR OC1 phase aims to enhance the operational capabilities of the ESSOR High Data Waveform (HDR WF), developed in the previous phase of the ESSOR programme, in order to meet the most demanding requirements of the battlefield with secure, high capacity land tactical communications. The OC1 phase will also focus in defining the basis for managing the life cycle of the HDR WF in operational use.
“ESSOR OC1 is a key step towards building a joint European capability in land defence. We have here major European industrial parties in the defence communications business working together, combining their expertise and most updated technology for a common product and a common goal", said Mr. Lino Laganà, President of a4ESSOR.
The duration of the Operational Capability 1 phase, worth around EUR 50 million, is 45 months.
Mandate for the continuation of the programme and for OCCAR to act as the contracting authority has come from five participant states: Finland, France, Italy, Poland, and Spain. The work for the OC1 phase will be carried out in cooperation between members of the a4ESSOR industrial consortium Bittium, Indra, Leonardo, Radmor, and Thales.
Since 2009, the ESSOR programme has been developing the European Software Defined Radio technology for its operational use in coalition scenarios. The previous phase of the ESSOR programme has already proven the success of the multinational joint industrial development and implementation of the broadband networking waveform on a number of radio platforms provided by the members of the a4ESSOR industrial consortium. The ESSOR HDR WF has been demonstrated at a number of showcases in different conditions, and finally the capabilities and functionalities of the waveform were successfully demonstrated in battlefield conditions, showing evidence of how the ESSOR HDR WF allows land forces of different European countries to communicate seamlessly with each other in joint operations, linking up via a common waveform regardless of the radio platforms they use.
About ESSOR
The aim of the ESSOR program is to develop the European Software Defined Radio technology in order to improve the capabilities for cooperation in coalition operations. The program was started in 2009 under the umbrella of the European Defense Agency (EDA), has been sponsored by the governments of Finland, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, and was awarded by the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’ARmement (OCCAR) to the dedicated joint venture Alliance for ESSOR (a4ESSOR S.A.S.) to be in charge of managing the industrial consortium. The members of the industrial consortium are Bittium from Finland, Indra from Spain, Leonardo from Italy, Radmor from Poland, and Thales from France. The first phase of the programme was successfully completed in 2015. In addition to the European High Data Rate Waveform, the first phase of the program produced and validated the definition for the European Software Defined Radio Architecture which was ported and qualified on six different European platforms. The interoperability capabilities and the functionalities of the waveform have been demonstrated with different national platforms in various occasions during the year 2016 and demonstrations will continue during the OC1 phase.
Further information:
Bittium
Jari Sankala
Senior Vice President, Defense & Security
Tel. +358 40 344 3507
Email: defense(a)bittium.com
Indra
Indra Communication and Press Relations;
Tel. +34 91 480 97 05
Email: indraprensa(a)indracompany.com
Leonardo
Flavia Negretti
Press Office
Tel. +39 334 6378422
Email: flavia.negretti(a)leonardocompany.com
Radmor
Tomasz Gil
ESSOR Project Manager
Tel. +48 58 76 55 610 / +48 603 993 390
Email: tomasz.gil(a)radmor.com.pl
Thales
Justine Degez
Media Relations for land Defence
Tel. +33 6 89 34 53 09
Email: justine.degez(a)thalesgroup.com
a4ESSOR SAS
Dr. Lino Laganà
Président
Tel +33 (0)1 4613 2730
Email: lino.lagana(a)leonardocompany.com
About Bittium - Defense & Security
Bittium is a trusted Finnish company with over 30 years of experience in advanced radio communication technologies and biosignal processing. For Defense & Security market Bittium provides the most modern products and solutions for tactical & secure communications. The products and solutions for tactical communications bring broadband data and voice to all troops across the battlefield. For secure communications Bittium offers proven mobile devices and cyber security solutions certified up to CONFIDENTIAL level. Bittium’s net sales in 2016 was EUR 64.2 million and operating profit was EUR 2.5 million. Bittium is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.bittium.com
About Indra
Indra is one of the main global consulting and technology companies, the top IT firm in Spain, and the technology partner for the core operations of its clients businesses worldwide. It offers a comprehensive range of proprietary solutions and cutting-edge services with a high added value in technology, which adds to a unique culture that is reliable, flexible and adaptable to its clients’ needs. Indra is a world leader in the development of end-to-end technology solutions in fields such as Defense & Security, Transport & Traffic, Energy & Industry, Telecommunications & Media, Financial Services, Electoral Processes, and Public Administrations & Healthcare. Through its Minsait unit, it addresses the challenges of digital transformation. In 2016 Indra posted revenues of €2,709m and had a workforce of 34,000 professionals, a local presence in 46 countries, and sales operations in more than 140 countries. Following its acquisition of Tecnocom, Indra's combined revenues amounted to more than €3,200m in 2016 with a team of nearly 40,000 professionals. www.indracompany.com/en
About Leonardo
Leonardo is among the top ten global players in Aerospace, Defence and Security and Italy’s main industrial company. As a single entity from January 2016, organized into seven business divisions (Helicopters; Aircraft; Aero-structures; Airborne & Space Systems; Land & Naval Defence Electronics; Defence Systems; Security & Information Systems), Leonardo operates in the most competitive international markets by leveraging its areas of technology and product leadership. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), in 2016 Leonardo recorded consolidated revenues of 12 billion Euros and has a significant industrial presence in Italy, the UK and the U.S. and Poland. www.leonardocompany.com
About Radmor
RADMOR S.A is a part of WB Group the biggest polish private capital group engaged in defense industry. RADMOR is a designer, manufacturer and supplier of modern radio communication solutions for army and civil services. The company conducts activities for defense and security of Polish state, manufactures military radios and distributes civil radios. RADMOR products enable construction of various types of command and communication systems. Polish Army and uniformed services are main and most important clients of RADMOR. Nowadays RADMOR is the main supplier of VHF radios for Polish Army.
The company offers the most modern solution along with “XXI century soldier” conception, as well. RADMOR has designed the family of software defined radios (SDR) called COMP@N. Many different waveforms that enable integration with IP networks, simultaneous data and voice transmission, can be implemented at single hardware platform. Waveform can be created by RADMOR or designed according to the client demands. www.radmor.com.pl/eng
About Thales
Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Transport, Defence and Security markets. With 64,000 employees in 56 countries, Thales reported sales of €14,9 billion in 2016. With over 25,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design and deploy equipment, systems and services to meet the most complex security requirements. Its unique international footprint allows it to work closely with its customers all over the world. www.thalesgroup.com/en
About a4ESSOR SAS
a4ESSOR S.A.S. a Company organized and existing under the laws of France, having its registered office at 4 avenue des Louvresses, 92 230 Gennevilliers (“a4ESSOR”) set up by six EU leading TLC Companies (Bittium Wireless Ltd, Indra Sistemas S.A., Saab AB, Leonardo S.p.a , Radmor S.A. and Thales Communications & Security S.A.S), the Shareholders, in order to manage the ESSOR (European Secure SOftware defined Radio) Contract awarded by OCCAR-EA and to promote the ESSOR products in the SDR community.