The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded a £45m contract to BAE Systems to upgrade the RAF's battlefield information system by 2010.

The system – called Falcon - will provide voice, data and video communications for the RAF worldwide and will link in with MoD satellites.

Communication channels needed greater bandwidth to handle more information, said Martin Sheppard, the MoD's theatre and formation communications systems IT leader.

"Falcon brings internet protocol technology from the civil telecommunications sector to the military, where it must meet security constraints, operate in harsh physical environments and withstand a range of threats," he said.

Falcon will be supplied in vehicle-mounted containers, dismounted containers and mobile platforms.