Northrop-Grumman Proves AEHF Compatibility with Milstar Terminals

Released on Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Nearly two months of rigorous tests conducted by Northrop Grumman Corporation showed that Milstar terminals operated by the U.S. Army and Air Force can send and receive data through the next-generation Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satellite (EHF) military satellite communications system. The company is providing the Advanced EHF payloads to Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the Advanced EHF system.

The Advanced EHF communication system will provide global, highly secure, protected, survivable communications for warfighters serving under the U.S. Department of Defense. The Lockheed Martin-led team is currently under contract to provide three Advanced EHF satellites and the mission control system.

"The ability of Advanced EHF to operate with Milstar terminals reduces cost to the U.S Department of Defense and facilitates the military's integration of the Milstar and Advanced EHF systems," said Alexis Livanos, president of Northrop Grumman Space Technology. "With this successful payload-to-terminal verification, the Advanced EHF payload is on track to support our military services and allies with faster, flexible, protected communications worldwide."

Testing involved the Army's Secure Mobile Anti-jam Reliable Tactical Terminal (SMART-T) and Single Channel Anti-jam Man-Portable (SCAMP) terminals operating at Milstar low- and medium-data rates, along with the Air Force's Command Post and Lincoln Laboratory's Advanced EHF Universal System Test Terminals (AUST-T). Tests are planned for U.S. Navy terminals in the near future.

The results contained in this submission were generated in whole, or in part, through work supporting the MILSATCOM Systems Wing. The MILSATCOM Joint Program Office, located at the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contract manager and lead agency for the Advanced EHF program.