Washington – Northrop Grumman in Falls Church, Virginia, needs a space internet service provider to support the company’s contract with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to test satellites for defense contractors and commercial How communications providers can integrate space internet services into existing military systems. They found a solution from Viasat in Carlsbad, California.
Northrop Grumman was originally selected by AFRL for a four-year contract as part of the Defense Experiment Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCS) Call 003 program, also known as Global Lightning.
As part of the contract with Northrop Grumman, Viasat will provide its ViaSat-3 satellite communications network, allowing military users to easily access high-bandwidth satellite internet connections from existing U.S. Air Force aircraft or ground vehicles.
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Under the agreement, Viasat will integrate its ViaSat-3 modem into Northrop Grumman’s open systems processor and antenna solutions to conduct experiments demonstrating its use on multiple platforms. The modem complies with open communications and IP protocol standards used by the military, such as OpenAMIP, CMOSS and SOSA. Open standards have been identified as a priority for the Department of Defense because they enable faster adoption of new communications technologies so military users can keep pace with industry innovation. The ViaSat-3 modem is a small size, weight and power embedded module that can be seamlessly integrated with multiple mission systems by operating on open standards.
In October, Viasat announced the expansion of its Ka-band constellation to include eight advanced new satellites currently under construction. These will provide additional capacity on the most heavily traveled routes and busy hubs.Additionally, with the unique ability to direct capacity where it is needed, consistent high speeds are ensured no matter where passengers fly
“Global Lightning is designed to provide flexibility and agility to military users,” said Victor Farah, head of government systems at Viasat. “Our reliable satellite services, coupled with the open source optimized ViaSat-3 modem, are designed to deliver game-changing communications capabilities so they can easily connect and achieve mission success. We are pleased to be part of this program by providing our expertise on U.S. Air Force defense platforms.”