[SatNews] “Even as the U.S. military proceeds to withdraw from areas of major conflict, the appetite for satellite bandwidth is on the increase...”
XTAR LLC has been awarded a $5.6M contract renewal from L-3 Communication Systems-West to provide X-band satellite connectivity to the U.S. Army for manned airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (AISR) mission support. The recent L-3 award caps off another year of significant growth for XTAR in support of airborne applications.
Under the terms of the contract, XTAR will deliver space segment capacity on multiple XTAR-EUR beams, including the Middle East and global beams. The satellite will support connectivity to Army-operated King Air 350 and Dash 8 aircraft. The contracted satellite capacity has increased from the previous amount to satisfy growing requirements, which include achieving higher data rates and supporting additional aircraft. XTAR-EUR, at 29 degrees east longitude, provides commercial X-band coverage from Eastern Brazil across the Atlantic Ocean as far east as Singapore. The flexible payload is delivered through its two global, one fixed, and four steerable spot beams, which can be relocated anywhere within the satellite’s coverage area. The contract renewal was effective November 1, 2013, for one year.
“Even as the U.S. military proceeds to withdraw from areas of major conflict, the appetite for satellite bandwidth is on the increase,” said Philip Harlow, President and Chief Operating Officer of XTAR. “Bandwidth to efficiently transmit large volumes of data is critical to the nation’s security. Space segment users who facilitate AISR missions represent one of XTAR’s fastest growing customer bases.” Learn more about XTAR here.
XTAR, LLC is a privately owned satellite operator delivering X-band services to U.S. and Allied government users. Its two satellite payloads, with high-powered global, fixed, and steerable spot beams, readily support mobile applications. Today, XTAR enables mobile command posts, disaster response operations, special operations platforms on land and sea, and airborne sensor data operating in the harshest environments.
Interoperable with WGS, XTAR provides a range of services, such as short-term solutions for initiating or maintaining coverage, a layered approach to use the two systems in tandem, or as a long-term alternative. XTAR users experience non-preemptible space segment, operational independence, and faster certification of new technology. Available coverage is from Denver east to Singapore.