Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Defence
  • /
  • CDW and Viasat UK to deliver Agile IT and digital transformation for ARRC HQ

Defence

CDW and Viasat UK to deliver Agile IT and digital transformation for ARRC HQ

CDW today announced an agreement with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) headquarters in Gloucester, UK, to deliver a two-year Agile technical innovation contract for a Command, Control and Communication (C3) programme named LELANTOS.

Above: The Allied Rapid Reaction Corps has just been declared ‘combat ready’ after passing their combat readiness evaluation or CREVAL. The ARRC has been presented with NATO’s new ‘warfighting guidon’, which it will hold throughout its tenure as NATO’s War Fighting Corps at readiness until January 2022: (left to right) Command Senior Enlisted Leader Allied Land Command, Warrant Officer Class 1 Kevin Mathers; Commander Allied Land Command, Lieutenant General Roger L. Cloutier Jr.; Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, Lieutenant General Sir Edward Smyth-Osbourne and Command Sergeant Major Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, Warrant Officer Class 1 Stuart Davison.
Courtesy NATO ARRC / photo by Warrant Officer Class 2 Jamie Peters, HQ ARRC

Advertisement
DSEI 2025

ARRC is NATO’s rapidly deployable headquarters that acts as a nerve centre for operations and crisis response. CDW and Viasat UK Ltd have partnered on the two-year programme, which will enable a more survivable, manoeuvrable and deployable HQ.  

Programme LELANTOS, will involve regular technological innovation, as well as the wider digital transformation of HQ ARRC, and is part of a range of initiatives that demonstrate the UK’s continued commitment to the NATO alliance.

Lt Col Steve Short, ARRC Programme Lead, commented: “This is a defining moment. We have looked at the whole ecosystem of the deployed staff working environment and treated it as a capability in its own right.

“We will be harnessing best of breed technologies that deliver real advantage to our commanders and their staff. Equally important is the development approach we are taking with our industry partners, which is innovating in both technical and commercial processes.”

The programme will exploit multiple streams of state-of-the-art and SME technology and will deliver enhancements to the battlefield both at home and deployed. Over the course of the programme, decision-makers and technicians at the MOD, ARRC, CDW and Viasat will collaborate and develop integrated systems, making use of agile technical and commercial processes.

Nick Garland, Business Development Director for Defence at CDW UK, commented: “It is an honour to be at the forefront of leading technological change across multiple domains that will see real-time benefit to a strategic headquarters. The LELANTOS programme will deliver technological transformation aligned to the core objectives of both the MOD and ARRC.”

Advertisement
Teledyne

The programme, originally referred to as ‘Agile C3 Experimentation’, was put out to open tender on the UK government’s procurement platform, the Crown Commercial Service. CDW and Viasat partnered to win the contract in a competitive tender.

Steve Beeching, managing director of Viasat UK, said: “Programme LELANTOS provides an opportunity to challenge the status quo and drive agile C3 innovation across NATO and its allies. This partnership will leverage Viasat’s deep breadth of defence experience and innovative technology approaches, alongside CDW’s proven track record for delivering digital transformation solutions across multiple industries to bring ARRC rapidly-deployable, highly-secure and scalable land formation capabilities – which are critically important in a rapidly evolving battlespace.”

 

Advertisement
Cranfield University
Lane Electronics to showcase defence connectivity at MSPO

Aerospace Defence Events

Lane Electronics to showcase defence connectivity at MSPO

11 July 2025

Lane Electronics, a franchised distributor for many of the industry’s major electrical, electronic and optical connector manufacturers, will be Exhibiting at MSPO 2025 (2nd–5th September 2025, Kielce, Poland), where they will be displaying the latest connector innovations and demonstrating their UK based assembling and value add services.

Flitetec secures two distribution agreements

Aerospace Defence Events

Flitetec secures two distribution agreements

11 July 2025

Amersham based aerospace business Flitetec, has confirmed two major deals that it shook on at the recent Paris Air Show.

GKN Aerospace secures Typhoon transparencies contract

Defence

GKN Aerospace secures Typhoon transparencies contract

10 July 2025

GKN Aerospace has signed a six-year follow-on contract with BAE Systems for continued manufacture of Eurofighter Typhoon transparencies at its Luton facility, through to the end of 2030.

Metis to supply Skyperion to NATO ally

Defence Security

Metis to supply Skyperion to NATO ally

10 July 2025

Metis has won a contract to supply a number of Skyperion drone detection systems to a NATO customer to provide the drone detect function as part of an integrated Counter Uncrewed Air Systems (C-UAS) capability.

Advertisement
Gulfstream RT
ALL.SPACE unveils Hydra MAX

Defence Space

ALL.SPACE unveils Hydra MAX

10 July 2025

ALL.SPACE has revealed a major advancement in mobile satellite communications with the successful demonstration of Hydra MAX - the first network independent terminal of its kind to deliver ultra wideband communications to multiple satellites simultaneously.

BAE Systems assessed

Defence

BAE Systems assessed 'Awardable' for US DoD work in P1 Solutions Marketplace

9 July 2025

BAE Systems in collaboration with Defense Unicorns, have announced that their joint solution has achieved 'Awardable' status for US Department of Defense (DoD) work through the US Platform One (P1) Solutions Marketplace.

Advertisement
Teledyne