TCS—1. VSATs, 2. Protected Communications, 3. Wireless Wideband Terrestrial and 4. Basband IP Products
[Satnews] TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. (TCS) (NASDAQ: TSYS), a wireless communications company, today announced that it has received a delivery order from the U.S. Army to provide Micro Satellite (Microsat) Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs), baseband networking equipment and associated engineering services. The order has a total value of $223.4 million, if all options are exercised through September 2020. The initial funding on this order is $9.9 million for the base 12-month period starting September 2015.
TCS is partnering with subcontractor Tampa Microwave LLC, a subsidiary of Thales Defense and Security, to provide MicroVSAT .65M and .95M terminals and 1.3M Flyaway VSAT terminals. The terminals are Wideband Global SATCOM certified and designed to stringent MIL-STD-810G tactical requirements. These terminals recently received System Type designations of AN/TSC-223(V)1, AN/TSC-223(V)2 and AN/TSC-223(V)3.
Tampa Microwave LLC Vice President of Business Development Obie Johnson said, “Working with TCS, we have provided hundreds of MicroVSAT systems to our nation’s military and government agencies worldwide. Our family of terminals enables warfighters with the unprecedented flexibility and capability to efficiently customize their communication packages, and to rapidly deploy and sustain their missions. We are proud to again team with TCS in support of the program.”
TCS is also partnering with subcontractor Klas Telecom to provide baseband networking equipment as part of the overall MicroVSAT solution. Klas Telecom’s modular and scalable baseband solution is designed and independently lab tested to comply with MIL-STD-810G, MIL-STD-461F and FCC 15B. Voyager’s core routing, switching and virtual machine components are listed on the DISA Approved Products List and purchasable DoD-wide.
Klas Telecom Services President and CEO David Huisenga said, “Klas Telecom is privileged to team with TCS, a company that has proven its dedication to the U.S. Army through longstanding support through the SNAP, Tactical Transportable TROPO and Wireless Point-to-Point Link systems. We believe our innovative, market-leading Voyager baseband solution and Tampa Microwave’s modular, VSAT terminals, enhanced by TCS’ intrinsic organizational knowledge and global network of engineering services, equal the best possible solution available to the customer.”
Part of the TCS TotalCom® portfolio, the MicroVSAT (see photos) family delivers the highest performance available in the market today, achieving data rates up to 10 MBS to provide a terrestrial large pipe in geographically-challenged areas. The ultra-lean form factor enables non-attributable transport and operation and is ideally suited for elite military teams, tier-1 responders, command-and-control and data exfiltration calls.
TCS Government Solutions Group President Michael Bristol said, “TCS, Klas Telecom and Tampa Microwave have collaborated on MicroVSAT satellite system opportunities for more than five years. As a prime contractor, TCS has supplied these terminals to the DoD via the WWSS contract vehicle and now the GTACS contract vehicle. With the continuing strong demand for MicroVSAT equipment, we are honored to again serve as a trusted vendor in equipping our nation’s warfighter with this advanced communications capability.”