Airbus has secured a 25-year contract from France’s General Directorate for Armament to supply advanced cybersecurity gateways for networks operated by the Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans’ Affairs. Awarded through Airbus Cybersecurity SAS following a competitive tender, the PARACOM contract covers the end-to-end design, development, production and long-term operational maintenance of the systems.
Paracom will enable secure and filtered data exchanges between networks and information systems operating at different levels of classification or sensitivity. The gateways will be approved and certified to support exchanges ranging from secret to unclassified data.
“This gateway strengthens the digital shield the French Armed Forces rely on to execute their missions,” said François Lombard, Director of Connected Intelligence at Airbus Defence and Space. Airbus said Paracom will become a cornerstone of the ministry’s cybersecurity once deployed across the armed forces and its directorates and departments.
“Since 2013, we have supplied French land forces with gateway solutions.” “Our high level of expertise within our cybersecurity teams in the field of multi-level data-sharing solutions reinforces our position as a leading player in cybersecurity in France.”
The gateways are designed for use both at Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans’ Affairs sites and in theatres of operations. They will be offered in several configurations, including versions for integration into data-centre racks and self-contained units for deployment in command posts.
Paracom is also designed for more constrained or restricted tactical environments, including surface vessels, submarines, aeroplanes, helicopters and drones. The gateways can also be deployed aboard armoured vehicles and other land vehicles.
Airbus said the increasing digitalisation of military operations and the threats associated with it have made the ability to filter data flows a major priority for the armed forces. The Paracom architecture is intended to provide that capability across fixed infrastructure, deployed command environments and military platforms.
