TIM MARTIN
BELFAST — The UK Ministry of Defence has issued a five-year contract, valued at £89 million ($113 million), to BAE Systems for the design and manufacture of a deployable Wide Area Network (WAN) dubbed Trinity, set to deliver “enhanced connectivity” to frontline troops.
Described as a “highly secure and state-of-the-art battlefield internet capability” Trinity will be acquired to replace Britain’s existing Falcon network, due to be retired in 2026. The full contract amount of $113 million will be “dedicated” to the research and development phase of the program, set to be delivered from December 2025, according to an MoD statement Tuesday.
The new system features a series of nodes, meant to be capable of adding, accessing and moving data across a digital network. Even if some nodes suffer damage from combat operations, the others automatically re-route to maintain “optimum” network speed and keep information flowing, added the MoD.
It also noted that BAE Systems will be supported at an industrial level by US firms L3 Harris and KBR, an engineering company headquartered in Texas. Northern Ireland-based business management agency PR Consulting will also assist on the program.
Trinity makes up one part of the UK’s Land Environment Tactical Communications and Information Systems (LE TacCIS) program, designed to deliver a next generation of tactical military communications to the British Army.
A major component of LeTacCIS, known as Morpheus, a network supposed to enable future land vehicles to communicate with one another and connect sensors and shooters, has recently been in the spotlight for not being ready to enter service as originally planned in 2025.
The Financial Times reported that UK defense procurement minister James Cartlidge confirmed in a written statement last month that a “revised [date] was yet to be defined pending ongoing contractual discussions” with US manufacturer General Dynamics.
Estimated to cost £3.2 billion ($4 billion), Morpheus is intended to replace the army’s Bowman tactical communication system, but the troubled program has been roundly criticized by lawmakers and analysts alike for falling behind schedule.
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