Abu Dhabi-based Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) said it has signed a five-year contract with Astrium Services, an EADS company, to provide defence operations and maintenance solution to UAE Armed Forces.

Yahsat, a wholly-owned unit of Mubadala, said as per the deal, Atrium will manage the operations, training and maintenance for the network management and ground segments of the UAE Armed Forces’ new military satellite communications system.

Through the long-standing expertise developed with its range of Paradigm services, Astrium has a unique heritage in military satellite communications (Milsatcom) services as the world’s first commercial operator of secure military satellites on the Skynet 5 programme for the UK Ministry of Defence.

Astrium Services will draw on its experience and capability to meet Yahsat’s high levels of service assurance, service delivery and robustness, said a senior official.

The contract supports the two fixed satellite ground stations based within the UAE, the network management system and the maintenance of a significant number of remote ground stations ranging from manpacks to large transportable terminals.

“It has been a great honour to develop a satellite communications solution to support our nation’s defences and promote broader regional security,” remarked Rashed Al Ghafri, general manager of YahService.

“The system Yahsat has worked to create is a flagship programme for the UAE Armed Forces. We are therefore very pleased to have the experience and support of Paradigm in delivering our operations and maintenance services and look forward to working with them over the next five years.”

Eric Béranger, CEO of Astrium Services, said the contract was significant for Astrium, reinforcing its reputation as a world leading military satellite services company.

'It is a testament to our strength in providing expert, managed, military satellite communications solutions through our range of Paradigm services. Our Paradigm teams will bring all the attributes and quality they've built up on the UK MoD's Skynet 5 programme into developing Milsatcom service delivery in the UAE,' he added.
      
While the UAE is the first governmental client, YahService also offers a range of managed services and value added solutions to clients in defence, government and enterprise sectors.-TradeArabia News Service