Thales to supply military satellite communication system to Qatar

Thales press release

• Thales awarded to provide the Qatar Armed Forces with a secure, high-data-rate satellite communica-tion system.
• The contract illustrates the breadth of Thales’s product and service offering, and its capabilities as an integrator of complex defence sys-tems.
• The technologies included in this project are based on Thales’s Nexium solution for critical communications.

Photo - Thales

From left to right: Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Minister of Defence; Pascale Sourisse, SEVP International Development for Thales; Major General Hamad Bin Ali Al Attiyah, Qatar Minister of State for Defence Affairs; Eng. Abdulaziz Falah Al-Dosari Assistant for Technology to the Minister of State for Defence Affairs.


The ground segment supplied by Thales will provide Qatari ground and naval forces with a long-range communications capability to enhance national security and protect vital interests.

Satellite communication (satcom) systems are an important component of a military force’s voice and data communications capability in the theatre of operations. The military satcom network complements existing military radio communications systems. As a consequence, Thales will supply the systems needed to transmit and receive communications via satellite, and to process data on the ground.The solution is built around Thales's high-performance System 21 technology to provide secure, high-data-rate transmissions. This fully proven system has been selected by several NATO countries.

The Network Operations Centre, also provided by Thales, will be used for planning and managing the complete system, which will be operated by the Qatari armed forces.The solution will be interoperable with the other communications systems in service within the Qatar Armed Forces, including combat radios and fixed networks.The solution will be delivered on a turnkey basis, and integrated teams will be set up to ensure the transfer of skills from Thales to the customer.

Thales’s credentials in this sector include key roles on a number of high-profile programmes:

• Prime contractor and responsible for implementation of France's Syracuse III ground segment and networks.
• Operation and supervision of satellite links for NATO forces in Afghanistan (ISAF*).
• Manufacture of satcom terminals to provide critical high-data-rate secure communications for Yahsat in the United Arab Emirates.