Cobham selected by Home Office to provide ESN ACS

Courtesy Cobham

The system, a first of its type worldwide, will provide mission critical push-to-talk voice and high-speed data services over LTE for all UK police and air ambulance aircraft with deliveries during 2021-22. Other UK users of Cobham’s airborne TETRA may also adopt the system.

Cobham’s solution, an evolution of its market-leading RT-7000 tactical radio selected for use by over 20 public safety aviation units worldwide, will simplify installation and ease user adoption by using existing form factors and familiar HMI from Cobham’s proven TETRA systems. Cobham will also supply highly sophisticated antennas to operate on both the ESN terrestrial band and dedicated Air to Ground network.

Courtesy Cobham

As part of the ESN ACS project Cobham has collaborated with QinetiQ to bring world-class test and assurance capability to the team. Together, the two companies will deliver an assured programme for the UK Emergency Services, backed by 10 years of through life support with the option for a further five years.

Paul Kahn, Sector President of Cobham Communication & Connectivity said: “This win reinforces Cobham’s position as the market leader in critical communications for airborne users. We are proud to offer our continued support to UK emergency services having provided their existing airborne TETRA communications systems since the inception of Airwave.

"We are excited to be involved in their transition to LTE, enabling new capabilities whilst maintaining the critical voice services upon which our emergency services depend to keep us safe”

With several countries expected to migrate from TETRA-based systems to LTE-based Government communication networks in the near future, Cobham is well placed to help users of airborne TETRA systems in those countries benefit from this capability and experience.