EMS SATCOM, a division of EMS Technologies Inc., and Eclipse, reported that the French Navy (“Marine Nationale”) has selected a team composed of France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications and Eclipse to provide the EMS SATCOM eNfusion Broadband™ high speed data solution for six of its Maritime Patrol aircraft, with an option for two more. The overall value of the project to equip the Atlantique II and Falcon-50 aircraft is $6 M, and the value of EMS SATCOM’s portion of the project is worth approximately $2.3 M.

This represents a collaborative effort between Eclipse and France Telecom to provide EMS SATCOM systems, airtime and post-sales support to Marine Nationale with a fixed monthly-fee financing package, over five years. “Commercial off-the-shelf solutions are gaining significant popularity with the military,” said Eclipse general manager, Marc Pinault. “And Marine Nationale is no exception. They defined specific requirements and we are confident France Telecom and Eclipse will be able to deliver, primarily as a result of this collaboration, but also because of the COTS equipment. With the EMS SATCOM system, the end-user has a complete solution for all components, on multiple platforms, under one roof.”

The French program, called Aviasat, claims to be the first large-scale European program for maritime surveillance with this network-centric operational functionality, putting the aircraft’s communications system on par with even the most technologically advanced aircraft manufactured today. The Atlantique II and the Falcon-50 aircraft that form part of the fleet, many of which have been flying for more than 15 years, will deploy EMS SATCOM eNfusion Broadband™ equipment. Marine Nationale Falcon-50 and Atlantique aircraft fly in maritime patrol missions and require video, data and voice capabilities to fulfill mission requirements. It is Marine Nationale’s objective to develop capabilities that are more compatible with its network-centric operations strategy. Eclipse, acting as the project manager, will work with Marine Nationale to ensure that the systems are operational on a rapid deployment schedule. Six aircraft will be equipped within the next two years.

“We are enthusiastic about our participation in this project because it has a number of facets to it,” commented Neil Mackay, senior vice president and general manager at EMS SATCOM. “Not only does it involve the delivery of our high speed data, video and voice capabilities, but also special financing arrangements and a leasing agreement to specifically fit Marine Nationale’s requirements. Working with Eclipse and EMS SATCOM, Marine Nationale will have access to the vital communications it needs – virtually worldwide, with an upgrade path for SwiftBroadband capabilities.”