---
title: "Satellite Communications (SATCOM) for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Platforms"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078b3e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078b3e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078b3e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078b3e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "Ministry of Defence"
published: "2026-10-19"
---

# Satellite Communications (SATCOM) for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Platforms

Buyer: Ministry of Defence  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078b3e

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## Summary

The Ministry of Defence is exploring secure satellite communications for uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) operations. The requirement concerns low size, weight and power (SWaP) satellite communications equipment to provide beyond-line-of-sight connectivity, allowing data to pass between UAVs and ground-based operators. The authority wants to understand solutions’ capabilities and maturity, and how they could be integrated into UAV platforms. The equipment is intended for defence operations; the procurement data does not identify a delivery location. The work is categorised as goods and covers satellite communications equipment and its use on uncrewed aircraft. This is an early-stage assessment of technology and feasibility, rather than a defined supply contract.

The process is at planning stage. The Ministry of Defence is conducting voluntary preliminary market engagement to gather information; this is not a procurement or invitation to tender, and responses will not be used to select or shortlist suppliers. Suppliers are asked to provide information through a questionnaire, and the authority may invite participants to follow-up discussions. Expressions of interest to receive the Request for Information were requested by 26 October 2026. The engagement milestone is listed with a due date of 11 December 2026. The lot records a planned contract period on 1 April 2027. No procedure or evaluation basis for a future competition is established here; any later procurement would be a separate process. The engagement seeks information on potential commercial structures, not bids or priced offers.

The engagement is relevant to defence suppliers, small and medium-sized businesses, and commercial satellite communications providers with solutions suited to UAV platforms. Suppliers are best placed to contribute if they can explain low-SWaP SATCOM capability and maturity, secure beyond-line-of-sight connectivity, and the practical considerations involved in integrating equipment with uncrewed aircraft. The authority is also seeking evidence and views on performance, navigation, deployment, interoperability, compliance and ongoing supportability. Commercial models and innovative approaches are relevant, as the buyer is considering how future capability could be developed. This engagement offers a chance to inform the authority’s understanding of available technology and integration challenges before any separate procurement is defined. No particular accreditation or minimum delivery capacity is stated.

## Notice

The Authority is undertaking Preliminary Market Engagement to understand the availability, maturity and feasibility of Satellite Communications (SATCOM) provide secure Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLoS) connectivity for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operations, enabling data exchange between the UAV and ground-based operators. This activity is conducted in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 (Sections 16-17) and is for information gathering only. It does not form part of a formal tendering process and will not be used for supplier selection or down-selection. Participation is voluntary. All communication related to this notice and form submission is at OFFICIAL. Suppliers are invited to complete the following questionnaire to provide information on system capabilities, performance, navigation, deployment, interoperability, compliance, supportability and indicative commercial structures. By submitting a response, suppliers confirm that all information provided is, to the best of their knowledge, true, complete and accurate. The Authority may invite suppliers to follow-on discussions where appropriate. Any future procurement activity will be conducted as a separate procurement process.

### Planning Information

The UK MOD is seeking information from suppliers capable of providing low SWaP Satellite Communications (SATCOM) solutions for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms. This preliminary market engagement is intended to improve our understanding of available technologies, integration considerations, commercial models and potential future capability development. 
We welcome responses from defence suppliers, SMEs and commercial SATCOM providers with relevant solutions or innovative approaches. 
To receive the Request for Information (RFI), please contact: 
Danielle Daley 
danielle.daley117@mod.gov.uk 
Expressions of interest are requested by 26 October 2026. 
Please note this is a market engagement activity only and does not constitute a procurement or invitation to tender.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/098697-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 19 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Apr 2027 - 1 Apr 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planning |
| Lots status | Planning |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Ministry of Defence |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Postcode area | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1A 2EU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| Electoral ward | St James's |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 32 - Radio, television, communication, telecommunication and related equipment
- 35 - Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment

### Codes

- 32530000 - Satellite-related communications equipment
- 32531000 - Satellite communications equipment
- 35613000 - Unmanned aerial vehicles
- 35613100 - Unmanned combat aerial vehicles

## Release History

- 19 Oct 2026 at 17:31 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/098697-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/098697-2026
  19th October 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078b3e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078b3e.json.