France’s defence procurement agency, the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), has selected Alcatel-Lucent and INEO to update the French Air Force’s communication networks.
Under the €350m ($495.77m) RDIP-Air agreement, Alcatel-Lucent will coordinate the design, deployment, financing, management and maintenance of IP-based telecommunication networks at French metropolitan air force bases.
INEO Defense has been tasked with managing the design of service and security architectures, the infrastructure equipment integration, deployment and maintenance of the project.
Networks covered under the project will carry general air force base data as well as information pertaining to military air control and airspace protection, while installation will affect more than 36,000 access points.
The contract, which also incorporates replacement of existing equipment, includes a construction phase from 2011 to 2014 and a network operation phase, which will last until 2027.
