German army ordered old analog radios while deployment of packet radios is slow

Deepl translation (they got really good):

Because the Bundeswehr is making slow progress in equipping itself with modern digital radios, the force's procurement agency is taking an unusual approach: old analog radios from the 1980s, which are beginning to show signs of age and for which there are no longer any spare parts, are to be replicated one-to-one.

For years, the Bundeswehr has been working on equipping its land forces in particular with digital radios - this technology is needed not only to better protect radio traffic from eavesdropping and interference, but above all for data transmission, the so-called battle management systems. Five years ago, it was already apparent that this giant project, now renamed Digitization of Land-Based Operations (DLBO), was far behind schedule. In the meantime, however, the gap has become so large that the armed forces are resorting to a stopgap measure - and simply want to have their old radios rebuilt unchanged.

The project, first reported by Der Spiegel on (today's) Friday (report behind paywall), looks like an act of desperation and has been official since the beginning of September: That's when the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and Procurement (BAAINBw) published the announcement of a supply contract: Framework contract capability maintenance radio equipment family SEM 80/SEM 90 to maintain the operational capability of the existing radios SEM 80/SEM 90 while retaining all previous capabilities.

Behind the bureaucratic wording lies a technical requirement that is easy to fulfill: the contract award has the goal of maintaining the operational capability of the SEM 80/ SEM 90 radios while retaining all previous capabilities. Only the original equipment manufacturer can integrate the individual radios into the overall radio system of the SEM 80/SEM 90 radio family and thus into the vehicles/platforms of the Bundeswehr in such a way that, taking into account complex technical dependencies and compatibility requirements, mandatory requirements for safe and reliable functioning and operational safety can be met.

In other words, the transmitter/receiver type devices, mobile SEM80/90, introduced into the Bundeswehr in the 1980s and long since discontinued, are to be rebuilt exactly as they were before. Approximately in such a way, as if a telephone user would order for its connection an original dial telephone A1 mausgrau. Additional extras (transferred from the example: a key telephone or redialing) are expressly excluded.

Initially, the framework agreement is only intended to demonstrate that Thales can also build radios at the technical level of the 1980s - and then also supply them well into the next decade: The framework agreement runs until Dec. 31, 2032, and includes extension options until Dec. 31, 2035. (...) On the one hand, the term is necessary to successively ensure the necessary equipment supply, starting from an equipment quantity of up to 30,000 units. On the other hand, the planned service life of the devices is at least 10 years. A change of manufacturer would lead to technical difficulties in maintaining the existing interfaces, technical dependencies, external dimensions and functionalities of the existing SEM 80/SEM 90 radios and is therefore not possible.

A decision on procurement is to be made only afterwards, which is why the value is initially also only stated as 0.01 euros in the announcement. After that, however, it could really go into the money: Should the Bundeswehr actually order all of the maximum 30,000 new old radios required, the volume involved would be around 600 million euros.

However, such a procurement would then have to be submitted to the Bundestag's budget committee for approval, the scope of which would depend not least on the progress of the digitization of troop radio. The parliamentarians must then decide whether they want to accept what the ministry calls the best of the bad solutions. And whether the Bundeswehr should still be able to afford technical equipment at the 1980 level in 2035.

Addendum: In the comments, the correct hint that there was already an article on this in the specialist publication Soldat&Technik on September 4, which, however, is also behind paywall and which I do not know. But a reference from their sister publication Europäische Sicherheit&Technik, September 2021 issue, also fits in with this:

The example of leadership capability clearly shows the extent of what has been missed. While at that time with the continuous introduction of AUTOKO90, BIGSTAF and SEM93 an effective command and control system was implemented with the technical means of that time, today the command and control means are either still the same, not (any longer) continuously available or in the meantime completely obsolete. Regrettably, the Army is thus unable to achieve the interoperability and crypto-standards of allied forces with SDR (Software Defined Radio) radio on the basis of, for example, the SEM 70/80/90 analog radio series.

(Archive photo July 2020: Soldiers during an exercise with the SEM70 radio, the portable version of the SEM80/90 - Christoph Loose/Bundeswehr)

The seemingly absurd order is mainly due to reasons of public procurement law. Because the planned re-equipping with digital radios is nowhere near as fast as hoped, the old radios must be kept in service as long as possible - or replaced with radios of identical design. After all, a radio with additional capabilities, explains a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, would have to be put out to tender throughout Europe. That, in turn, would potentially come too late and leave the force partially without any radio connectivity.

For the same reason, the contract was awarded without a tender, and from the BAAINBw's point of view, only one company came into question: the German offshoot of the French company Thales. This was because Thales had taken over parts of the company Standard-Elektrik Lorenz (SEL), which had built the radios some 40 years ago - and this company no longer exists. For technical reasons, the contract could only be awarded to Thales, according to the announcement.