An Airbus Cybersecurity security operations centre. Credit: Airbus / Dominique Eskenazi France’s military runs networks at different classification levels, and data still has to move between them, and Airbus will build the checkpoints. The French defense procurement agency (DGA) has awarded the company the 25-year PARACOM contract to supply cybersecurity gateways for the networks of the Ministry of the Armed Forces and Veterans’ Affairs, Airbus said on Wednesday. The contract went to Airbus Cybersecurity SAS, a subsidiary, following a competitive tender.
It covers design, development, production, and long-term maintenance of the gateways. Airbus did not disclose its value. The gateways are meant to allow secure, filtered exchanges between networks and information systems with different levels of classification or sensitivity. According to Airbus, PARACOM will be approved and certified for exchanges ranging from “secret” to “unclassified”, and will be deployed across the armed forces and the ministry’s directorates and departments.
The hardware will come in several versions: a rack-mounted unit for data centers, a self-contained unit for command posts, and variants for constrained tactical settings. Airbus lists surface vessels, submarines, aircraft, helicopters, drones, and armored and land vehicles among the intended platforms. The company said the growing digitalization of military operations and the threats it entails have made filtering data flows a major priority for the armed forces. “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 Defense and Space. He noted that Airbus has supplied gateway solutions to French land forces since 2013.
In cybersecurity, twenty-five years is a significant period. By the time this contract ends, today’s threats may seem outdated.
