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Harris’ Multiband Terminal Prototype Communicates with Milstar in Simulated High-Sea Conditions |
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MELBOURNE, Fla., Jan. 23, 2007/Satnews Daily/ ― Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) said on Monday it has become the first company to complete a point-to-point Milstar satellite call under full-motion dynamics that simulate high-sea shipboard conditions using an Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) Navy Multiband Terminal prototype system.
Harris said it successfully logged onto, communicated with, and tracked a Milstar satellite ahead of schedule in preparation for a U.S. Navy contract expected to be awarded June 2007. If selected, the value to Harris could exceed $1 billion by 2015.
“This milestone achievement clearly demonstrates our prototype terminal's ability to be recognized by and communicate effectively with Milstar satellites while in full platform motion,” said Sheldon Fox, vice president and general manager of Department of Defense Programs, Harris Government Communications Systems Division.
“Success in the prototype phase, coupled with Harris' legacy as the provider of the Navy's current generation of multiband, super-high-frequency wideband terminals, uniquely qualifies us as a leading Navy Multiband Terminal supplier.”
Harris said the test follows the company's recent announcements that it was the first to successfully acquire and track low- and medium- data rate waveforms on, and uplink to, the Milstar satellite using the same prototype terminal. An SCA 2.2.1-compliant software programmable modem developed by Harris was instrumental in all three successful demonstrations. Once fielded, the terminal will serve as the common element of naval information networks, providing interconnection of individual naval assets with other services and eventually with the Global Information Grid.
Log-on to the Milstar satellite was performed at the Harris Naval SATCOM Integration and Test Facility in Palm Bay, Florida, utilizing a KGV-136, the newest generation cryptographic unit. Coupled with an earlier demonstration of the new, extended data rate (XDR) waveforms and the Milstar uplink and downlink capability, this latest demonstration confirms that Harris is on plan to provide U.S. Navy ship, submarine and shore installations with full access to the communications capacity provided by the AEHF satellite constellation.
All Harris terminals -- shore, submarine periscope, submarine mast and shipboard -- now have the capability to communicate with the Milstar satellite while under high sea conditions, the company said. The successful demonstrations are the culmination of three years of waveform design and hardware/software development as part of the AEHF Navy Multiband Terminal program.
Harris won a contract in 2003 to develop four prototypes for the next- generation AEHF Navy Multiband Terminal for the U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. The first phase of the program is a 43-month effort to design and develop prototype Q-band SATCOM submarine and shipboard terminals in support of the U.S. Navy's FORCEnet concept.
The new terminals will provide the Navy with a modernized, highly reliable system that provides more than four times the data capacity of today's Milstar terminals. Additional phases will add high-performance Ka- and X-band capabilities to the common terminal. The resulting system will replace current single- and dual-band terminals, yielding significant lifecycle cost reductions and improved reliability. This approach offers the Navy better access to SATCOM assets, increased bandwidth, and protection from jamming and interception of transmissions.
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