Qatar's Armed Forces and France's Thales Group on Sunday signed a contract for the execution of a ground satellites project.
The project will provide infrastructure and communications equipment for satellites, broaden capacity means of communications and enhance the armed forces' command and control system, the state Qatar News Agency (QNA) quoted a senior official as saying.
The signing ceremony was attended by the State Minister for Defence Maj Gen Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Attiyah, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and the Qatar Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Air Vice Marshal Ghanim bin Shaheen Al-Ghanim.
The contract was signed for Qatar Armed Forces by the Assistant State Minister for Technical Affairs Brig Abdulaziz Al-Dossari and for Thales by its Vice President Pascale Sourisse.
In a statement to QNA after signing, Brig Al-Dossari said that the contract comes as a culmination of procedures that extended to over 16 months and included tenders, quotations and field examining of major equipment.
He explained that the project aims to provide infrastructure and satellite communications equipment and top secret and high capacity equipment to help the Armed Forces command and control system.
It will also provide the Qatari military with means for communications anywhere, as communications via satellite provides a broad coverage area through which the service can be delivered.
On the project's components, the senior officer said it would provide command and control centres, satellite communications stations for navy vessels and fixed sites, adding, that it also includes training, transfer of know-how and maintenance.
Qatar's launch of satellites through Es'hailSat and the armed forces ownership, operating and managing of the military aspect of Es'hailSat have promoted the use of communications via satellite as a secure means of communications to their own approval.