Airbus Defence and Space has been selected by Hisdesat to develop and build the SpainSat NG-III secure communications satellite, expanding Spain’s military satellite communications capacity.
Airbus will act as prime contractor for the spacecraft, which will build on the existing SpainSat NG programme and provide encrypted communications for Spanish, NATO and allied defence and government users. The programme is intended to increase bandwidth while improving resilience against jamming, spoofing and other forms of electronic interference.
SpainSat NG-III will be designed, integrated and tested by Airbus, with work drawing on the architecture developed for earlier SpainSat NG spacecraft. Thales Alenia Space in Spain will lead development of the UHF and military Ka-band payload elements.
Electronic protection built into satellite
One of the key technical features is the use of active X-band transmit and receive antennas developed by Airbus in Spain. According to Airbus, the technology can provide the capability of 16 conventional antennas and can reconfigure coverage as frequently as 1,000 times per second.
This flexibility is intended to allow communications capacity to be redirected according to operational requirements while also identifying and mitigating electronic interference.
The satellite is also being designed with resilience against electromagnetic pulse effects and high-altitude nuclear events. Airbus states that the system will meet NATO requirements covering areas including anti-jamming and anti-spoofing performance.
Military satellite communications have become increasingly important as armed forces operate over larger areas and rely on distributed sensors, command centres and deployed units that may have limited access to terrestrial communications infrastructure.
The ability to maintain protected connectivity despite attempts at electronic disruption is therefore becoming as important as overall communications capacity.
Coverage extends across multiple regions
SpainSat NG-III is expected to provide coverage extending from North and South America through Europe and Africa to the Middle East. Together with SpainSat NG-I, launched in 2025, Airbus said the programme will provide coverage across approximately two-thirds of the Earth.
The programme also reflects the growing emphasis placed on sovereign and European-controlled military space infrastructure. Governments are increasingly examining whether communications, intelligence and navigation services remain accessible during conflict, particularly where commercial networks or infrastructure controlled by third parties could become unavailable.
For defence buyers, SpainSat NG-III consequently demonstrates how satellite procurement is moving beyond additional communications capacity. Resilience against electronic warfare, flexible allocation of bandwidth and sovereign control of the supporting infrastructure are becoming central requirements within military communications programmes.
The project will also maintain industrial activity within Spain’s defence and space sector, with Airbus leading the satellite and Thales Alenia Space contributing key payload technology.
