Intelsat is to expand its ultra-high-frequency (UHF) hosted payload services offered to the Australian Defence Forces (ADF), extending an April 2009 agreement.

Under the expansion, the ADF has exercised its option to purchase the remainder of the specialised UHF communications payload that Intelsat is integrating within its Intelsat 22 satellite.

Intelsat general hosted payload programmes vice-president Don Brown said that as a result of its direct partnership with the ADF, the company was building a payload to serve the forces’ growing communication needs for the next two decades.

The Intelsat 22 satellite, to be positioned at 72°E longitude, will provide optimal coverage for growing opportunities in enterprise networks, mobility and defence-related applications.

The satellite is scheduled for launch in the first quarter of 2012.