Second Year’s Work Under Framework Agreement Confirmed
Bittium has confirmed that the Finnish Defence Forces have ordered further tactical routers and radio heads under the four-year framework agreement established in 2021.
The routers and radios are “related to several ongoing projects in the Finnish Defense Forces,” the company stated, confirming that the value of the February 8, 2022 purchase order is approximately €8.8million ($10million).
The framework agreement, signed by Finnish Defence Minister Antti Kaikkkkonen, was announced in December 2020. The contract covers supply of tactical communications systems – specifically, Bittium’s TAC WIN tactical wireless IP network – and will be worth around €30million in total. Separate purchase orders issued each year from 2021 to 2024.
TAC WIN provides 50Mbps encrypted broadband IP network connectivity to the Finnish defence forces’ mobile communications stations and command posts. The system can support three different radio heads – types I, III and IV. Type I is used to create a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) for short-notice deployments over small areas; type III establishes a point-to-multipoint network, which can link the MANET to a main link network; and the Type IV creates a radio link network, connecting command sites to fixed networks. The products ordered as part of this latest purchase order will be delivered this year.