Thales eyes UK Dismounted Situational Awareness programme

Thales UK DSA offering on display at the 2023 Future Soldier Technology Conference. Synaps (left), AN/PRC-148E Spear (middle), and SquadNet radio (right). (Janes/Olivia Savage)

Thales intends to pitch its tactical radios for the UK Dismounted Situational Awareness (DSA) Tactical Radio Sub-Lot competition.

Depending on the UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD) requirements, the company will present its SquadNet, Javelin, AN/PRC-148E Spear, or Synaps handheld radio for the Tactical Radio Sub-Lot competition, Ciaran McCloskey, product line manager for tactical products at Thales, told Janes at SAE Media Group's 2023 Future Soldier Technology Conference, held from 6 to 8 March.

If the MoD and the British Army dictate that they require a “flat network approach, 120 radios or users within a net, the company can offer their SquadNet or Javelin radio”. On the other hand, for a two-tiered approach, the company can offer its SquadNet radio at the lower level, for soldiers who require a more basic capability, and the Synaps handheld radio at the commander level, which has more modern waveforms and is hardened against electronic attack, McCloskey said.

Announced at the conference by the UK MoD, the Tactical Radio Sub-Lot is intended to be the primary procurement method for the acquisition of all DSA equipment, hardware, and supporting services. It will have a financial headroom of GBP3 billion (USD3.6 billion) and intends to go live in the third quarter of 2023. Suppliers participating in the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Network Services 3 framework will be able to bid to join the Sub-Lot.