ViaSat has been selected to provide global broadband and communication services to US military aircraft including Air Force One, the aircraft used to transport the US President. The $73 million award was announced by ViaSat on 27 July.
Aircraft to be supported under the contract include the VC-25s, C-17s, C-32s, C-37s and C-40s used to transport the president and other senior VIPs. ViaSat will provide services to enable ‘a situation room in the sky’ – including the ability to stream full-motion high-definition video via the in-flight broadband connection for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, en-route command and control and search and rescue missions.
Two-way communications are possible via HD video conference calling or voice over internet protocol calls; real-time intelligence and other location-based, live-sensor data can be accessed for critical decision-making.
ViaSat’s solution is based on a certified, hybrid Ku-/Ka-band system, which keeps aircraft connected to the best available satellite network. The hybrid terminal and radome enables automatic in-flight network switching across Ku- and Ka-band satellite networks for an advanced global roaming capability.
Ken Peterman, senior vice president and general manager, government systems division, ViaSat, said: ‘ViaSat's high-capacity global in-flight internet service ensures executive and government leaders and their teams can stay connected, informed and productive, maximising the effectiveness of time in-flight with ‘situation room and command centre’ connectivity in the sky.’
Clavister CyberArmour, an integrated defence cybersecurity system, will be used on BAE Systems Hägglunds’ CV90 platform in deployments with a Scandinavian country, as well as in an eastern European nation.
The tactical satellite (TacSat) is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system and will participate in exercises in 2025.
The airborne three-domain, the two ground-based and the ¼ ATR OpenVPX-based cross-domain systems were engineered to provide real-time security across multi-domain operations.
DARPA’s Mission-Integrated Network Control (MINC) programme was set up to develop an autonomous tactical network and enable critical data flow in contested environments.
Why space is an essential part of modern military capabilities
Defence-secure mixed reality headsets can save hours, or even weeks, of travel time to fix defunct equipment or get subject experts effectively “on-site” where they are needed.
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