Cobham has been selected by the UK Home Office to provide the full Emergency Services Network Aircraft Communications System (ESN ACS).

Cobham has been selected by the UK Home Office to provide the full Emergency Services Network Aircraft Communications System (ESN ACS) as part of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP), in a contract worth £64 million.

Simplified installation

The system, which Cobham says is a “first of its type” worldwide, will provide mission-critical push-to-talk voice and high-speed data services over LTE for all UK police and air ambulance aircraft with deliveries during 2021-22. Other UK users of Cobham’s airborne TETRA may also adopt the system.

Cobham’s solution, an evolution of its RT-7000 tactical radio selected for use by over 20 public safety aviation units worldwide, aims to simplify installation by using existing form factors and familiar interfaces from Cobham’s TETRA systems. Cobham will also supply sophisticated antennas to operate on both the ESN terrestrial band and dedicated air-to-ground network.

Test and assurance

As part of the ESN ACS project, Cobham has collaborated with QinetiQ to bring test and assurance capability to the team. Together, the two companies will deliver an assured programme for the UK Emergency Services, backed by 10 years of through-life support with the option for a further 5 years.

Paul Kahn, Sector President of Cobham Communication & Connectivity said: “This win reinforces Cobham’s position as the market leader in critical communications for airborne users. We are proud to offer our continued support to UK emergency services having provided their existing airborne TETRA communications systems since the inception of Airwave. We are excited to be involved in their transition to LTE, enabling new capabilities whilst maintaining the critical voice services upon which our emergency services depend to keep us safe”

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