BAE Systems Information and Electronics Systems has won the international tender for a mobile communication system called MOKYS for the Slovak army, the Defence Ministry announced on December 2.
In the final round of the four-round tender, BAE Systems beat off competition from Thales Communication. The criteria for the last round were price and logistics support for the system over the whole period of its functioning, the SITA news agency reported.
The Defence Ministry is expected to sign the contract with the winner by December 15. The ministry has refused to reveal the exact price it will pay for the project.
The ministry insists that the price is confidential information. However, the media have estimated the price at Sk7 billion (€184 million) over a five-year period.
MOKYS means that the Slovak armed forces will be equipped with the latest communications technologies, already in use in other NATO countries. The system is currently being implemented in Great Britain, Germany and the USA.
Six companies entered the initial stage of the international tender, including firms from the US, France, Italy, Canada and Israel. Compared to the former TOKOS project, with an estimated cost of Sk8.5 billion (€224 million), which Defence Minister Liška canceled after taking up his post, MOKYS should be more than Sk1 billion (€26 million) cheaper.
