Spectra Group (UK) Ltd has received its first order from the UK MOD for the recently launched GENSS tactical communications system as a defense unicorn, establishing the military branch as the launch customer.
The initial procurement consists of 40 body-worn systems, 14 platform systems, and a full-service wrap. Designed, engineered, and manufactured in the UK, GENSS is an evergreen software-defined tactical communications system built on UK sovereign engineering expertise and shaped by operational experience. The system delivers adaptable, efficient voice and data connectivity for distributed forces, featuring a system architecture designed to support continuous capability evolution through software development, new waveforms, and system integrations as operational requirements and technologies change.
The system delivers tactical communications beyond traditional line-of-sight boundaries, providing secure voice and data connectivity using L-Band tactical satellite networking (L-TAC). GENSS builds on the heritage of Spectra’s SlingShot system, delivering typical networking speeds of 64kbps at 25kHz, and up to 90kbps under optimal conditions, with the radio offering flexible bandwidth operations from 5 to 200kHz. It initially supports three core operational roles: SlingShot capability, MANET / Data bridging beyond line-of-sight, and efficient beyond-line-of-sight voice and data connectivity.
By combining efficient bandwidth usage, adaptive coding and modulation, and low-power transmission methods, GENSS enables resilient communications for mobile forces operating in contested or denied environments. It maintains reliable link performance in dynamic environments and inherently reduces the probability of detection and interception using LPI-D techniques, AES encryption, and anti-tamper protection, enhancing its security and operational effectiveness.
Spectra Group has a long history of producing innovative satellite communication solutions, and the UK MOD was also the first to adopt its award-winning SlingShot system. The SlingShot system enabled L-Band satellite access for existing tactical radios and currently has over 10,000 units in operation with specialist and regular NATO forces globally.
Simon Davies, Chief Executive at Spectra Group, said, “As a veteran and owner of a British business, it is extremely rewarding to have designed, engineered and manufactured GENSS to meet the complex and evolving communication demands of the modern soldier. Engineered with input from ex-serving military specialists to minimise operator burden and support effective use in demanding field conditions, GENSS is a lightweight, easy-to-use and highly adaptable communication system that provides assured connectivity in the most demanding of environments. We have worked closely with the UK MOD to ensure that GENSS meets their current and future requirements, and I am very pleased that again the UK MOD is leading the way in adopting this new capability.”
Defence Secretary John Healey MP added, “This government is backing British innovators and entrepreneurs, doing things differently to deliver for our forces. These are contracts, not words or promises, and they mean that thirteen British companies, many of them new to defence, are receiving real investment to develop the technology our Armed Forces need. This is defence delivering growth right across the country.”
