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BATTLESPACE meet Paradigm Director of Operations, Peter Bruton.
The landmark PFI partnership between the UK MoD and Paradigm has now reached its fifth year of operation. To find out how the project is progressing we went to the Skynet Operations Headquarters at Corsham in Wiltshire to meet Paradigm Director of Operations, Peter Bruton.
Paradigm signed a contract with the UK MOD in October 2003, for the provision of all worldwide satellite communications services to UK Armed Forces up to 2018. The programme, procured as a groundbreaking Private Finance Initiative (PFI), includes the funding for the next generation of UK Milsatcom capability. In December 2005, Paradigm Secure Communications Ltd signed an amendment with the UK MoD to extend the 15 year Skynet 5 PFI service contract, bringing the concession period to 2020. The programme is worth up to £3.5bn.
Astrium is prime contractor on the Skynet 5 contract through its Astrium Services subsidiary Paradigm Secure Communications. Paradigm holds the contract with the UK Ministry of Defence for the provision of secure milsatcoms until 2020. The MoD manages Skynet through the Global Communication Services IPT headed by Darrell Midgley.
Astrium is also prime contractor on the Ariane 5 launchers in charge of manufacturing, and leads the launcher manufacturing activities of the various European industrial companies. Astrium Space Transportation recently signed an agreement with Arianespace to step up production of Ariane 5 launchers.
As part of the PFI deal, Paradigm offers military and commercial communications services to other governments and international organisations. The Skynet 5 satellites are in geostationary orbit 40,000km above the earth's surface and relay communications between headquarters in the UK and British forces deployed on Operations. Skynet 5A was launched on 11 March 2007 from Kourou, French Guiana.
"These successful launches mark the culmination of many years of co-operation between industry and the Ministry of Defence and will further enhance Paradigm's ability to deliver mission critical communications services to our deployed military customers, faster and better than ever.”
Paradigm accesses a full range of commercial satcom solutions and is now the definitive one stop shop for UK military satellite communications. The first Skynet 4 constellation is still delivering services although Skynet 4A was put into ‘Graveyard Orbit’ three years ago, a process which requires the burning of the remaining fuel in the satellite to launch it into orbit 300kms away from the existing orbit under agreed International Treaties.
The Skynet 5 satellites are based on Astrium's Eurostar E3000 satellite platform with a 34m solar array span and a launch mass of 4.7 tonnes. The satellite, with its world beating antenna technology and high power and data rates, provides a significant enhancement to operational capability for our forces - whether deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan or at sea. In other areas commercial satcoms is being used in the field of welfare services, to provide 'free' messages between service personnel on operations and their families and friends.
Now, five years on, the Paradigm Team and EADS have clearly demonstrated its abilities to manage such a complex MoD Requirement for which £1.2bn had to be privately financed; it has also streamlined and developed a Procurement\Process which from which lessons can be learned for future MoD programmes.
Paradigm’s parent company Astrium Services, part of EADS are in the position to supply new technology through the development and promotion of satellite services, concentrating on secure communications and navigation as the European "one-stop-shop" provider for milsatcom services.
“It was a brave move on the MoD’s part to choose the Skynet 5 Project as a ground-breaking PFI?” the Editor asked Peter Bruton.
“Yes indeed, but you must remember that at that time the MoD had to consider all Procurements for PFI under the Public Sector Comparison Scheme. Skynet 5 was deemed to be a better value for money option under a PFI. The MOD had done its groundwork well, before the decision was taken”
“Yes, it is due to the long-term vision of EADS and its management to establish the company in such innovative communications projects. The Board of EADS was totally supportive in the early days and the Company is now reaping the rewards of its foresight.”
To demonstrate the success of the Project, Astrium employs 12000 people and Astrium Services, the third leg of Astrium, which includes Astrium Telecom, turned over £270 million in 2007.
Information Dissemination Service
“Having established the basis of the Skynet Service provision, has Astrium developed new systems to enhance the system?”
“We have an Innovations Department run by Colin Stickland to develop new products. The Information Dissemination Service (IDS) was developed using our own money and supplied into the MoD under the PFI contract.”
The Information Dissemination Service was launched in June 2007 and enhanced with the arrival into service of the Reaper UAV in October 2007.
“All imagery from the Reaper in theatre is sent back via satellite link to the US Command Centre which includes RAF personnel. This imagery is then sent to the UK for analysis by imagery specialists and the results sent back into theatre in almost real time. This is enabled by our Information Dissemination Service technology.
The new IDS service enables the scheduled broadcast of many channels of high data-rate multi-media information around the globe, together with an asynchronous return link to order priority information as needed from in-theatre. It is a fully managed end-to-end service, in which Paradigm provides a guaranteed quality of service with specified availability, helpdesk, in-theatre support and training. In addition to the efficient transportation of data across the satellite bearer, information management (security prioritisation, acceleration and scheduled delivery of data) is provided. The service includes the satellite terminals, airtime, encryption devices and end user terminals.
The IDS service comes in many variations, depending on the specific customer application required. Information may be sourced for the UK for dissemination to the theatre of operations, or generated in-theatre and delivered back to the UK. Some of these applications were not included in the Skynet 5 feasibility studies and information Exchange Requirements. Nowadays, the types of information that IDS can deliver are essential to our armed forces. Modern day doctrine and strategy is about the clever and immediate use of information to gain tactical advantage.
IDS is providing two types of service. The IDS-Geo Int service delivers large data files of mapping information as required to end users in specific locations. The IDS-Reaper service disseminates information to in-theatre locations from Predator-B UAVs.
The Paradigm Modem (PM) is an advanced secure modem which allows information to be sent over satcom in a more secure manner, developed using our own funds; the Paradigm modem will be fitted to every Reacher and SCOT terminal as PM is delivered.
“We have completed the basic SCOT ship installations last year and we are in the final stages of delivering the forty Medium and Large Reacher terminals, one of which has recently been delivered into theatre with its MOWAG Duro III vehicle towing the dish and providing support. We have also delivered a new Wi-Fi facility to camp bastion in Afghanistan which allows military users to use communications system and communicate with their loved ones in a much more relaxed atmosphere.”
Export Potential
“What about export potential?”
“We are making strong progress on our third party contracts and have signed up Holland, France, Germany, NATO and Canada and we are now listed in the U.S. as an X–Band provider.”
In September 2006 Paradigm signed an export contract to deliver military satellite communications services to the Netherlands Ministry of Defence. The Netherlands MoD will be guaranteed an aggregate level of service, defined by the amount of data transferred, measured in Mbps, with the flexibility to increase the total throughput in the event of a change in requirements.
“How about the vital US market?”
“In May of this year, we signed an agreement with DRS Technical Services, a segment of DRS Technologies Inc, through IGEN, a subsidiary of Intelsat for $6.5 million to provide satellite services to the US DoD. This is an exciting development and a breakthrough in the US providing a vital breakthrough to this huge market.”
“How do you break down usage for third parties and the MoD?”
“Skynet 5A and B provide enough assured capacity to meet the needs for the MoD with some reserve to allow for developments expected up to 2020. Thus, although primarily an in-orbit reserve, 5C can provide capacity for third parties. And we have 5D in component form which could be built at a later date with the agreement of Paradigm and the MoD. We have an agreement with the MoD to provide them with a dividend from Third Party Agreements after a certain level of service is reached.”
The Future
“What of the future?”
“As you can see, this facility has changed since your visit in 2005. We have revamped the Operations Centre and are building a new Integrated Customer Care centre. The whole facility houses both ours and the MoD’s teams.”
“Are you ready for the 2020 cut-off?”
“It seems a long way off for the Skynet 6 Project, or whatever a successor system may be called, but we have not only to prepare for the design of the new satellites, we also have to ensure that we become the new provider in 2020, if that is what is required. The facilities were leased for a nominal £1 and these will be returned for the same amount.”
“In terms of communications provision, do you see this as the most efficient way of providing services/”
“No, this is a half-way house. the MoD has a much larger plan to integrate all its communications assets from Skynet 5 through to DII giving a one-stop shop providing seamless 24/7 communications.” Bruton concluded.
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