Lockheed Martin Selected As Preferred Bidder.

US defence giant Lockheed Martin has won a contract to deliver Australia’s first sovereign-controlled military satellite communication constellation.

Lockheed Martin was recently announced as the preferred prime contractor for the JP9102 Australia Defence Satellite Communication system following a two-year procurement process. The company will now progress to the next stage of the tender, which will involve engaging in contract clarification.

Other bidders on the JP9102 project included Telco Optus, which was leading a joint bid with Raytheon Australia and Thales Australia, as well as Airbus, Boeing and Northrop Grumman.

The contract is estimates to have a lifetime value of up to $3 billion(AUD), with the delivery of the new constellation satellites, names MILSATCOM.

The satellite constellation will replace the existing satellite communication system, which is currently supported by Optus’ C1 satellite and another operated by Inmarsat.

Lockheed Martin will work with a range of suppliers including Inovor Technologies, EM Solutions, AV-Comm, Linfox, Shoal Group, Ronson Gears, Calytrix Technologies, Conscia, Clearbox Systems, DXC and Blacktree Technology to deliver the ground and control components for JP9102.

The company is also planning to expand its presence in the state of Victoria in Australia, with the development of an engineering and technical hub that will create more than 200 advanced space industry jobs.

Lockheed Martin’s has also secured a 19-year contract to deliver Australia’s Southern Positioning Augmentation Network (SouthPAN), which offers an increase in satellite positioning precision.

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