Skynet 5
Skynet 5 - A proven and trusted partnership
In the UK, Airbus is the Ministry of Defence’s trusted partner for space. It’s a collaborative relationship, developed over eighteen years of providing Skynet services - Britain’s secure military satellite communications programme.
The World Leading Service
A hardened X-band constellation of satellites and accompanying ground network, Skynet provides all Beyond Line of Sight communications to the UK military. Skynet is a world-leading end-to-end service, providing multi-domain integration to UK forces that ensures they get the right information at the right time.
Secure Voice and Data to anywhere in the world
Highly resilient and highly secure, Skynet meets the toughest standards set by the UK Ministry of Defence. Users benefit from a full spectrum of interfaces that enable secure voice and data across networks and point-to-point services, with an unrivalled level of encryption. Airbus operates all aspects of the programme, taking responsibility for design, sustainability and system availability.
The Customer at the heart of Airbus focus
Airbus and MOD staff work side-by-side at our co-located Ground Operations Site. The Airbus Skynet team has delivered the MilSatCom programme in peacetime and conflict, and some were awarded operational medals by the UK military for on-the-ground support in Iraq and Afghanistan. Throughout our partnership with the UK government, the Skynet programme has been updated and refreshed to keep it reliable, resilient and futureproof.
Skynet 6
In July 2020, the MOD contracted Airbus to enhance the Skynet fleet and build the Skynet 6A satellite for launch in 2025. This new contract also covers technology development programmes, new secure telemetry, tracking and command systems, for the current Skynet 5 system.
