Spanish radio and satellite communications specialist Celestia TTI and Indra, Spain’s national industrial co-ordinator of the Next Generation Weapon System (NGWS)/Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, have reached a collaboration agreement to jointly develop next-generation antennas, enabling them to design advanced communications systems for the FCAS programme.
Announced on 1 August 2024, the agreement will see the companies collaborate to develop multi-purpose antennas capable of meeting civil and military needs and bands and establishing links with satellite networks in geostationary, high, medium and low orbits. The companies will also develop internal links to facilitate the integration of the aircraft’s onboard systems, thereby enhancing distributed data processing and improving the platform’s situational awareness.
“Developing the ‘Combat Cloud’ will lead to creating a collaborative space involving multiple air, naval and ground platforms and mark a turning point in the world of defence,” Indra Programme Manager Alejandro Serrano was quoted as saying in a joint press release. “The agreement we’ve reached with Celestia TTI will enable us to accelerate its development in the field of communications and explore new concepts and technologies that will shape the future of defence.”
Miguel Peña, sales director at Celestia, added, “This strategic agreement will enable the two companies to join forces to move the nationwide industry forward, positioning it as a market leader. Without a doubt, it’s a major opportunity to further the cutting-edge technology we’ve developed at Celestia TTI in the area of next-generation antenna arrays over the years.”
The NGWS/FCAS programme is driven by Germany, Spain and France as equal partners. The countries have appointed Airbus, Indra and Dassault Aviation respectively as national co-ordinators for the programme, placing them at the helm of their respective industries.
The purpose of the NGWS/FCAS programme is to develop a ‘system of systems’ comprising a next-generation fighter and several unmanned aerial platforms or carriers co-ordinated by a ‘Combat Cloud’, allowing all of the elements of the defence ecosystem to act as a single entity in a combined and collaborative manner.
The companies described this as “a revolutionary concept that will address the challenges to be faced by defence over the course of the century”.
