Speaking Up Down Under
“The biggest thing in town regarding comms, and will be for years,” is reportedly how one anonymous defence company executive dubbed Land 4140. Formally known as Project Land 4140 Tranche-1, the initiative constitutes a major modernisation of Australian land forces communications. Several of the military communications industry’s biggest players are competing for the project. The Australian Department of Defence released its initial request for information for Land 4140 in 2022. The subsequent request to tender was issued on 9th September. Plans call for delivery of the chosen capabilities between 2025 and 2030. No exact figures appear in the public domain regarding the project’s costs. Figures of hundreds of millions of dollars have been mentioned. In keeping with general trends in military communications, the Australian military wants capabilities which easily accept future software upgrades. The programme is ambitious, and Land 4140 will roll out a raft of new communications systems stretching from tactical to operational levels.
Australia is taking the right step at the right moment. The country is deepening its already close strategic relationships with the United Kingdom and United States. The AUKUS (Australia, UK, US) partnership established in September 2021 illustrates this. AUKUS is a riposte to the looming challenge the People’s Republic of China (PRC) poses to the regional balance of power in the Asia-Pacific and beyond. Land 4140 presents the Australian military with a golden opportunity to not only improve inter- and intra-force connectivity, but to deepen coalition networking. Any confrontation with the PRC in the Asia-Pacific will invariably also involve Australia’s American and British allies. Making sure the communications are in place to support allied warfighting is vital. Australia should eagerly seize the opportunity that Land 4140 offers to ensure this is the case.
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In episode 15 of Armada’s Radioflash! podcast we talk to Leslie Hulser, executive vice president, corporate strategy of Persistent Systems. We examine the status of JADC2, what this overarching effort has achieved to date, potential problems and shortcomings, and the work that still needs to be performed.
September Radio Roundup
Armada's monthly roundup of all the latest news in the military communications product, programme and operational domains.
Armada International is proud to announce that 3 of our journalists have been shortlisted for the Defence Media Awards 2025, which will be held in Washington DC on the eve of AUSA.
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