As Prime Systems Integrator the JP2072 Project Office plans to establish a standing offer arrangement for the provision of vehicle communications harnesses that may form part of, or interface to, the Battlespace Communications System - Land [BCS(L)].
The harnesses provide voice and data distribution within a vehicle and external to the vehicle via radio devices and/or connections to other communication systems.
Last year the Defence Materiel Organisation signed a contract with Thales Australia to provide their SOTAS IP vehicle communications system to the ADF.
Under the contract, Thales will supply over 700 complete systems, plus spares, to be installed in various versions of the ADF’s Bushmaster vehicles, including personnel transporters, command vehicles, air assault vehicles and ambulances.
Meanwhile, with worldwide deployment of over 80,000 systems (including with the ADF) Cobham Defence Communications (CDC) sees itself as a world leader in platform intra-communications systems.
Under the generic family name of ‘ROVIS,’ CDC produces a wide range of modular communication systems for platforms including marine, light vehicles and armoured vehicles (light and heavy).
Cobham’s tactical IP system, the ROVIS G2 TacIP, provides full multimedia capabilities in a network enabled environment and presumably competes with Thales’ SOTAS-IP system.
Since both Cobham and Thales are incumbent intra-vehicle systems suppliers to the ADF, one may assume there will be fierce competition between these two to further supply the ADF’s current and future needs.