The Department of Defence
has selected ViaSat Inc. to supply the UHF Satellite Communication (Satcom)
Mission System for its recently-launched UHF capacity on Intelsat IS-22.
The system is designed to provide voice and data military satcom covering a
region from the west coast of Africa to the east coast of Australia.
The value of the award to ViaSat is approximately $35 million.
The IS-22 satellite
launched March 26 with a hosted UHF payload – representing about 30 percent of
the satellite’s total capacity – dedicated to ADF communications.
The ability to serve small, mobile terminals used by ground, sea, and air
forces in all types of terrain make UHF especially suited to military satcom.
“The Network Control
System will use satellites in the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions to support
the resource sharing partnership with the United States,” said Stephen Smith,
Minister for Defence.
“The NCS will become a critical component for UHF communications for ADF
personnel operating in the Middle East,” Smith
said.
Partnering with
Australian industry, ViaSat is responsible for providing a complete UHF Network
Control System that includes system architecture, design, development,
integration and test, site preparation, equipment procurement and installation,
and ongoing support.
The system is also designed to include the Integrated Waveform (IW) for channel
control and network terminals, enabling an increase in channel efficiency and
available bandwidth.
“I think our ability
to deliver IW capability is the significant reason we were chosen for this
award,” Jerry Goodwin, VP Business Development at ViaSat said.
“That
technology is
something we feel is important to maintaining a leadership position in global
UHF satcom systems and services,” Jerry concluded.