Lockheed Martin and GSM said they expect
to upgrade at least 12 submarine systems per
year over six years.
SNT has developed similar tests under
the phase 1 and 2 stages of this project.
The latest test architecture is scheduled for
completion in October 2010.
RAYTHEON,
NORTHROP GRUMMAN,
LOCKHEED MARTIN
Compete for Space Fence
Raytheon Co.. Northrop Grumman and
Lockheed Martin received contracts from
the U.S. Air Force for the phase A system
design and prototype of the S-band Space
Fence system.
The Space Fence program is part of a U.S.
Department of Defense effort to track and
detect resident space objects consisting of
thousands of pieces of space debris as well
as commercial and military satellites. Space
Fence will replace the current VHF Air Force
space surveillance system, built in 1961.
The three competitors each received $30
million development contracts. Delivery of the
first Space Fence radar system is expected in
2015.
of the year.
MIDS aims to provide improved situational awareness in combat for U.S. Navy,
Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and other U.S.
defense partners by gathering information
into a digital view of the battlefield.
SNT
Wins U.S. Army Grant to Test
Mobile Radio Networks
Scalable Network Technologies (SNT), a
wireless network evaluation service, was
awarded a $2 million phase 2.5 Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant
from the U.S. Army to create an enterprise
solution for mobile network communications simulation for the Army’s JTRS
Ground Mobile Radio (GMR) testing, training and experimentation.
The grant obligates SNT to create a live-vir-tual-constructive test architecture that accurately represents the operation of thousands
of on-the-move mobile and satellite radios,
including verification and validation.
TCS
Receives Additional Army Funds
for X-band VSAT Routers
TeleCommunication Systems (TCS) received
an additional $6.8 million of funding from
the U.S. Army to provide additional Secret
Internet Protocol Router (SIPR) and Non-secure Internet Protocol Router (NIPR)
X-band VSAT Satellite Systems.
The order, under the Army’s SNAP program, includes options for about 1,500
terminals and supporting equipment to be
deployed in various sizes and configurations over the next few years, along with
up to 30 field support personnel.
The combined award is part of the U.S.
Army Communications-Electronics Life Cycle
Management Command order, announced in
August 2008, with a potential value of $232
million, and brings TCS’ total funding for this
project up to $55.9 million.
VSD
Acquires Television Direct
to Sailors Program
VSD and SES Americom subsidiary Americom
Government Services (AGS) completed negotiations to transition programming responsibilities for the Television Direct to Sailors (TV-DTS)
terminal program from AGS to VSD.
The formal transition expands and
strengthens VDS’ strategic alliance with
Orbit Communication Systems to provide
satellite communications and telecommunications offerings for antenna systems sales,
parts support and technical engineering
services, VDS said.
TV-DTS aims to provide welfare and
morale of merchant marine personnel at sea
through access to Armed Forces Radio and
Television broadcast service.
VIASAT
Awarded $21 Million Military
Low-Volume Terminal Order
ViaSat won a delivery order worth about
$21 million for Multifunctional Information
Distribution System (MIDS) terminals from
U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems
Command in San Diego.
The Lot 10 order includes low-volume terminal variants for F/A-18+, E/A-18G aircraft
and MH-60R/S and CH-53K helicopters as well
as terminal variants for Canada, Germany and
various U.S. Army and Air Force applications.
Delivery of the units is expected to
begin in July and continue through the end
WAVESTREAM
Receives Ka-band Amplifier Order
from General Dynamics
Wavestream Corp. received orders totaling more than $50 million from General
Dynamics for products from Wavestream’s
family of Ka-band SSPAs for the U.S. Army’s
new satellite transportable terminals.
The product being delivered to General
Dynamics is a 50-Watt Ka-band SSPA with
integrated BUC, which is part of a family
of Ka-band products by Wavestream that
includes 12-watt and 25-watt models. To date,
Wavestream has delivered more than 600
Ka-band SSPAs to General Dynamics. ■
