Airbus Defence and Space has signed a four year framework agreement with the Norwegian Defence Logistic Organisation (NDLO) for the provision of X-band satellite capacity and has committed to deliver up to 30Mhz of capacity annually on the Skynet military satellite constellation. Skynet will augment the Norwegian forces' existing secure communications in maritime, land and aeronautical applications across Northern Europe, the Arctic and for Allied nations missions globally.

Under the Skynet PFI (Private Finance Initiative) contract, Airbus Defence and Space owns and operates the hardened Skynet 5 X-band satellite constellation and the ground network to provide all Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communications to the UK Ministry of Defence.

The contract also enables other NATO and Allied governments to use Skynet to augment their existing services and to benefit from the unique Skynet performance attributes especially when associated with small and disadvantaged terminals, ensuring reliable communications even on the edge of cover.

Evert Dudok, Communications, Intelligence and Security (CIS) Business Line, Airbus Defence and Space said: "This is great news to have Norway on board as part of our extended Skynet family. We will work closely together to ensure they gain the maximum benefit from the Skynet constellation which now provides secure X-band milsatcoms to multiple nations around the world."

Airbus Defence and Space's proven ability to deliver secure, high bandwidth X-band capacity for defence customers meets all requirements presented by the NDLO based on its current national and international needs in addition to its future scope.