Viasat, Inc. secured a $33.6 million U.S. Air Force contract to develop and deliver Active Electronically Scanned Array systems for resilient satellite communications on tactical aircraft including rotary-wing platforms.
The contract, under the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet program, supports the federal need for resilient communications via a hybrid network using various frequencies, orbits and providers.
Viasat will use its commercial AESA technology and radio frequency expertise to create a phased array antenna that offers greater flexibility and reliability, meeting evolving mission requirements for resilient communications.
Under the contract, Viasat will deliver a high-performance, low size, weight and power AESA antenna that supports communications for tactical aircraft by enabling connections across different frequencies, orbits and commercial networks, the company said.
“Viasat has extensive expertise supporting development of AESA phased array antenna technology across domains and we’re excited to bring that experience to the DEUCSI program,” said Michael Maughan, vice president of space and mission systems for Viasat Government. “We believe hybrid resilient communication solutions are central to future government mobility operations and our teams are committed to continuing to help solve these multi-band, multi-orbit, multi-constellation interoperability challenges with high performance, cost-effective capabilities.”
Following previous awards announced in August 2023, Viasat received phased array antenna technology development contracts across land, maritime, space and airborne applications.