Danish defence software firm secures multi-million-dollar Australian contract after five-year trial

Denmark’s Systematic A/S has signed a long-term contract with the Australian Department of Defence to supply its SitaWare command-and-control software to the Australian Army, the company confirmed on Tuesday.

The agreement, described by Systematic’s chief executive Nikolaj Bramsen as “a tidy seven-figure sum,” follows a five-year pilot programme in which SitaWare supported Australian military exercises and operations, including the country’s largest-ever exercise, Talisman Sabre.

Systematic was initially brought in after Australia terminated a separate contract with Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems, citing reported security flaws in Elbit’s software; Elbit denied the allegations.

SitaWare is a real-time situational-awareness system that integrates sensor feeds, drone data and field reports to display friendly, allied and hostile positions on a live digital map. It enables rapid order dissemination, route planning and threat assessment for ground, maritime and air operations.

“Some have compared it to the kind of map overlays you see in computer games, where you can draw routes for tanks and troops,” Bramsen said.

The contract is expected to strengthen Systematic’s position in the Indo-Pacific region and will, in the first instance, support additional jobs in Denmark, where most of the company’s development and engineering teams are based.

SitaWare is already deployed in about 50 countries, including NATO members and partners such as France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Denmark. NATO itself procured the system for its land operations two years ago.