Sydney 25-Apr-2023

Latest Rohde & Schwarz HF technology to upgrade Australia’s strategic military communications network

Rohde & Schwarz Australia collaborates with Babcock Australasia to support the JP9101 Enhanced Defence HF Communications System (EDHFCS) program recently awarded to Babcock by the Australian DoD.

Photo shows (fltr) Rohde & Schwarz Australia Managing Director, Gareth Evans, and Babcock Managing Director Mission and Support Systems, Brad Yelland, sign the collaboration agreement at the Babcock Australasia office in Adelaide.

Rohde & Schwarz will supply the latest technology high-power, liquid-cooled high frequency (HF) transmitters and software defined radios for the JP9101 Enhanced Defence High Frequency Communications System (EDHFCS) program, which will provide Australian and allied armed forces with the ability to securely communicate using voice and data from almost any location across the globe.

“Rohde & Schwarz welcomes this new contract and opportunity to work with Babcock, which follows our recent partnership to deliver a similar upgrade for the New Zealand Defence Force,” said Gareth Evans, Managing Director Rohde & Schwarz Australia. “It is no secret that Rohde & Schwarz have a longstanding history in HF communications and our self-sufficient liquid-cooled technology is backed by decades of experience in the transmitter business.”

The R&S®SK4110 HF high-power transmitters feature longer service life and lower failure rates by minimizing thermal load on all components, courtesy of the self-sufficient liquid-cooling system, which has been proven by Rohde & Schwarz over 25 years in its hugely successful range of TV broadcast transmitters.

Providing a sustainable carbon footprint while delivering up to 50% energy cost savings, the new transmitters feature critical module redundancy, i.e. uninterruptable transmission and operation in case of power supply failure or HF output stage failure.

“The revolutionary, state-of-the-art technology developed by Rohde & Schwarz is the market benchmark and more than matches the Commonwealth requirement for advanced long-range BLOS communications with very high data rates and maximum reliability,” Mr. Evans added. “We will fully support Babcock in implementing and operating this modern communications solution and stand ready to offer our decades-long local HF communications systems expertise and substantial through-life support capabilities.”

Babcock’s Managing Director Mission and Support Systems, Brad Yelland said Rohde & Schwarz will play a vital role in the delivery of the EDHFCS program to the Australian Defence Force.

“The new system will provide the Australian Defence Force and its allies with an enhanced communications capability with levels of reliability and operational resilience not seen before within this technology domain,” he explained. “We look forward to working with Rohde & Schwarz on delivering a truly national capability for Australia’s strategic military communications network.”

Editor’s note: Rohde & Schwarz has been operating successfully in the Australian and New Zealand region for more than 40 years. The Australian subsidiary has a comprehensive integration and through-life support capability in Sydney that currently services defense communications contracts and air-traffic control communications contracts in both New Zealand and Australia.

In 2020, Rohde & Schwarz was selected by Babcock Australasia to provide HF radios and high-power amplifiers with HF wideband capability to the New Zealand Defence Force. Read press release here.

R&S®M3SR Series4100 HF radios belong to the SOVERON® radio family. They are innovative, versatile software defined radios that include HF wideband functionality. This powerful radio platform can be extended at any time and is a safe, future-ready investment.

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Rohde & Schwarz is a leading supplier of solutions in the fields of test and measurement, broadcast and media, aerospace | defense | security and networks and cybersecurity. The technology group's innovative communications, information and security products help industry and government customers ensure a safer and connected world. On June 30, 2022, Rohde & Schwarz had about 13,000 employees worldwide. The independent group achieved a net revenue of EUR 2.53 billion in the 2021/2022 fiscal year (July to June). The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and has subsidiaries in more than 70 countries, with regional hubs in Asia and America.

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