Defence spent $90m on axed GEO satellite tv for pc procurement – Networking – Telco/ISP

Defence spent about $90 million on a deliberate procurement of a geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite tv for pc communications system earlier than the method was halted earlier this week.

The department on Monday said the tender course of for section one in all JP9102 – which had Lockheed Martin engaged as most well-liked provider – had ceased.

Air Vice-Marshal David Scheul advised senate estimates that “about $90 million” out of an preliminary finances of “$150-odd million” had been spent up to now.

“Roughly that works out at about $40 million of CASG [Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group] associated prices, which incorporates prices related to the tender exercise, our inside authorized prices, [and costs] for workforce,” Scheul mentioned.

“About $3m [went] on ICT work with the Defence Digital Group; simply shy of $3 million with SP&I [Strategy, Policy, and Industry Group]; about the identical sum of money with DSTG [Defence Science and Technology Group]; $4 million with safety property group for added amenities work; and roughly about $40 million for the aptitude supervisor to do their work as a part of the challenge supply.”

Scheul added {that a} “small fee” was additionally made on to Lockheed Martin “as a part of the supply definition and enchancment exercise to fund a few of Lockheed’s prices.” 

This included “facility-related exercise for a venue for us to conduct that work in”, he mentioned.

Requested what prices Lockheed Martin had incurred up to now, Scheul mentioned he understood the seller “has made a substantial funding as a part of this exercise.”

“I feel it might be as much as them to articulate how a lot that may be,” he mentioned.

Senators additionally raised the prospect of a protracted tail of investments made by gamers within the defence trade provide chain that had some affiliation with elements of the challenge.

Mission continues

The choice to axe this model of the tender course of was attributed to advances in satellite tv for pc communications expertise and evolving threats against certain types of satellite infrastructure.

The challenge nonetheless exists, as does the necessity for a next-generation satellite tv for pc communications system.

Defence will now pursue “a multi-orbit functionality” right away, comprising “geostationary, medium and low earth” orbit satellites, secretary of the Division of Defence Greg Moriarty mentioned.

The intent of JP9102 had been to have a multi-orbit functionality finally, after a number of challenge phases, however this goal is now to be fast-tracked.

“What has modified because the Defence Strategic Assessment and the Nationwide Defence Technique …  is we’ve an consciousness that we require better resilience,” chief of joint capabilities Lieutenant Basic Susan Coyle mentioned.

“This was section one with the GEO stage. We decided that that wouldn’t be ample and that we wanted to have multi-orbital strategy sooner, so along with the present GEO strategy that we have been enterprise by tender with Lockheed, it was a choice made by us that we must always present recommendation [to the Defence Minister] to recommend that with the rising risk and evolving expertise that we’d suggest to go to a speedy multi-orbital answer faster.”

Defence officers famous that the US is equally happening the trail of a multi-orbit system, though senators questioned the extent to which that is production-ready, and the choices out there in-market.