OREANDA-NEWS. As part of the Australia’s Land 121 Phase 3B Project, Thales has signed a contract with Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles Australia for a C4I system and will supply the Sotas Lite, Thales’s new crew intercom system, to the Australian Defence Force.

In the scope of this project, the Australian Defence Force will acquire up to 2,536 medium and heavy category logistic trucks. The Phase 3B fleet will include protected vehicles, for operational deployment and tactical training, and unprotected vehicles for tactical training purposes only. Rheinmetall has been contracted to supply these vehicles by the Australian Defence Force.

Thales in Australia will conduct the design activities for the C4I system that will be installed in the vehicles, integrating customer furnished radios and systems into the intercom system.

Thales in the Netherlands will supply Sotas Lite, Thales’s new Crew Intercom System. The first Sotas systems were installed in the Australian Bushmaster programme in 2009/2012; this will be the third platform within the Australian Defence Force in which Sotas will be integrated. 

“This contract shows that the Sotas range is one of the world’s leading systems in its field. The new Lite version offers the same proven quality as the regular system.”

Marcel Grisnigt, Head of Radio Communications Products in the Netherlands.

Sotas systems are based on a high performance open architecture that is modular, scalable and future-proof. The innovative Sotas Lite systems are aimed at programs/vehicles that do not require extensive inter-vehicle networking capabilities. Requiring only a minimal installation footprint, Sotas Lite systems are typically used in space constrained vehicles, offering a comprehensive set of tactical voice and data services.

Since the Sotas product family consists of modular components that can be assembled and scaled to provide optimal configurations for all vehicle types and missions, the cost effective Sotas Lite system can easily be upgraded if new requirements regarding system size and functionality emerge. Upgrades are performed with minimal impact on the existing installation. This provides great flexibility and logistical advantages that support the broad range of wheeled and tracked military tactical vehicles.

Sotas systems are fielded in more than 30 countries and Thales is committed to the continuous development of new capabilities to increase mission effectiveness.