Broadband

Hybrid SATCOM system demo’d by Northrop Grumman

26 September 2024
An artist rendering of how a hybrid SATCOM device might be deployed and how it could be used to provide continuous communications while switching between constellations and orbits. Source: Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corp. has completed a demonstration of its first hybrid satellite communications solution that provided a connection with SATCOM telecom Viasat and a commercial proliferated low earth orbit (PLEO) vendor.

During the demonstration, Northrop Grumman validated uninterrupted connectivity while switching between constellations and orbits.

The hybrid SATCOM system could be used for communication between pilots and operators in space, air and ground. It also could increase help with missions for the military or other governmental aircraft when adversarial threats disrupt U.S. communications across orbits, providers and frequency bands, Northrop Grumman said.

“Northrop Grumman is responding to the U.S. Air Force’s need for rapid deployment of resilient communications to develop and field the technologies required by our warfighters to meet today’s challenging missions,” said Steven Conn, director of advanced communications and signals intelligence at Northrop Grumman. “This successful test, leveraging a diverse team of commercial and defense SATCOM providers, is critical for the pace of maturity on the Global Lightning program and the ability to begin flight testing in the near future.”

How they did it

Northrop Grumman’s hybrid SATCOM terminal can host nine modems with network routing, security and encryption. It also includes a radio outfitted with an antenna provided by GetSat. The terminal alternates among the modems if a network fails to maintain connectivity.

In the demonstration, it proved communications diversity of a connection to a commercial PLEO provider at Ku frequencies in LEO and Viasat at Ka frequencies through its ViaSat-3 F1 satellite in geosynchronous orbit.

To contact the author of this article, email PBrown@globalspec.com


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