HENSOLDT and Sener’s Spanish-French team will deliver the Wide Band LOS Ku data link of the Eurodrone program incorporating cybersecurity capabilities. Following the signing of an industrial collaboration agreement at the end of 2022, Sener Aerospace & Defence and HENSOLDT France have been appointed for the development, certification and future serial production of the Eurodrone’s Line-of-Sight (LoS) Data Links. While the future Eurodrone will be used for Intelligence, Surveillance, Target acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) missions, the LoS data links will connect the RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) and the different ground stations, enabling real time decision making for military operations.
“We are very proud to be working on Eurodrone alongside our technology partner Sener Aerospace & Defence,” said Philippe Guibourg, President of HENSOLDT France. “Eurodrone will be a key programme for protecting Europe’s sovereignty and HENSOLDT, with its 30 years of experience in on-board data links and cyber security in France, is very honoured to be part of the project. European RPAS will also be the basis for future Defence programs, such as the FCAS in which the HENSOLDT Group is already involved, so we hope that this successful partnership will lead to further collaborations on European Defence programs”.
For the past more than 2 years, Sener Aerospace and Defence and HENSOLDT France have been working together building a successful business relationship based on trust, technical complementarity, continuous joint work and strong leadership. In order to answer Airbus S.A.U’s Eurodrone request for proposal, both companies chose a Prime / Sub contractual scheme with Sener as Prime Contractor and HENSOLDT as main Sub-contractor for Sener. Within the RPAS project, Sener will be particularly in charge of the Narrow Band (NB) data link and will work with HENSOLDT to provide the Lygarion Wide Band (WB) Ku data link.
Sener Aerospace & Defence Data Link system capabilities and HENSOLDT’s Lygarion Line of Sight Wide Band solution will use cutting-edge technologies to facilitate the secure and real-time acquisition and exchange of operational data. The system has been designed to operate in environments requiring a high level of anti-jamming capabilities and secure data transmission such as required for the Eurodrone program. As the two data links must be compliant with their respective STANAGs (NATO Standardization Agreements) and related security constraints, the X7®, a new state-of-the-art cryptomodule developed by HENSOLDT and offering advanced protection of the transmissions against detection, interception and exploitation will be fitted on both the NB and WB Ku Eurodrone’s LOS data links.
As a company of the French defence technological and industrial base (BITD), HENSOLDT France SAS develops, installs and maintains high-speed secured Data Link solutions for missiles, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and airborne applications. It also specializes in cyber security solutions as well as various IFF (Identification Friend and Foe) and drone countermeasure equipment. It has been part of the HENSOLDT Group since 2019.
HENSOLDT is a leading company in the European defence industry with global reach. Based in Taufkirchen near Munich, the company develops complete sensor solutions for defence and security applications. As a technology leader, HENSOLDT drives the development of defence electronics and optronics and is continuously expanding its portfolio based on innovative approaches to data management, robotics and cyber security. With more than 6,500 employees, HENSOLDT achieved a turnover of 1.7 billion euros in 2022. HENSOLDT is listed in the MDAX on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
