Tim Furniss
France is considering joining the UK's Skynet 5 military communications satellite programme instead of developing a Franco-German system - all that remains from the original Anglo-French-German Trimilsatcom concept. The UK pulled out of Trimilsatcom in August.
Armand Carlier, the chief executive of Matra Marconi Space, which leads one of the teams that is bidding for the Skynet 5 contract, says the decision by the French government to look at the Skynet 5 option, "-makes sense- it is certainly worth studying this solution.
Requirements
"We are very similar nations in terms of our requirements, unlike Germany. We have a large naval fleet, for a start." Both France and the UK have foreign dependencies and military bases overseas.
France is concerned that Germany may not have the money to pursue the Franco-German system option.
Carlier reveals that Motorola has joined the MMS-led team to bid for Skynet in competition with the Lockheed Martin team which also includes British Telecom and BAe Defence.
The MMS team also includes a "leading UK telecommunications provider", he says.
Carlier says that the formation of the MMS and Daimler Benz Space Systems (DASA) is proceeding as planned and should be completed "late this year". This is being treated as a separate step from the proposed Aerospatiale link-up.
Aerospatiale will eventually be a major shareholder in a new organisation that will include the new MMS/DASA company and will be an Aerospatiale subsidiary. Aerospatiale will continue to operate its own Space Systems division, however. "It will be initially independent" but a final integration is likely, Carlier says.
Source: Flight Daily News