SES GS on 6 December announced a new unified operational network--Hydra--built exclusively for the US government and military Photo: SES

SES GS on 6 December announced a new unified operational network--Hydra--built exclusively for the US government and military Photo: SES

The US-based branch of Luxembourg satellite operator SES has launched an operational network built exclusively for the US government and military.

The so-called Hydra platform will provide situational awareness information through a web-based monitoring and control system that collects and organises data from different sources.

“Hydra is the convergence of tactical, operational, and strategic enterprise data in a single pane view,” said Pete Hoene president and CEO of SES Government Solutions, and retired US Air Force brigadier general. “Having information in real-time can be the difference between mission success and mission failure. SES GS has identified the need for a tool that compiles and transforms open-source data in a customisable dashboard to help manage situations rapidly and allow in-real time informed decision making.”

SES Government Solutions, or SES GS, provides commercial satellite communication solutions to the US government. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Betzdorf parent business.

SES GS in July signed a €14.5m contract to provide satellite services to Thule air base in north-western Greenland. This came after the department of defence in May awarded a €35m contract to the satellite operator to support major combatant command.

The Hydra platform is built on the SES Government Terrestrial Network (GTN), synchronising operations across global teleports, points of presence and US government datacentres, SES said in a press release on Monday. “Hydra is secure by design and incorporates the latest security and data processing technologies, ensuring mission assurance for government and military users.”

Situational awareness tools collect data, making it available for analysis and disseminating it to the relevant players in the chain of command. They also help connect communications system from different branches of the military or different manufacturers that otherwise wouldn’t be able to communicate with one another.

Lockheed Martin under the name “Project Hydra” in May successfully linked two US fighter jets and a spyplane while also sharing information to ground systems. “This next-level connectivity reduces the data-to-decision timeline from minutes to seconds, which is critical in fighting today's adversaries and advanced threats,” said Jeff Babione, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin’s advanced development programmes, in a statement.