Northrop Grumman Begins Installing First EHF Satcom Hardware on B-2

March 17, 2010 by Jeffrey Bradford · Comment
Filed under: Syndicated Industry News, northrop grumman 
Northrop Grumman Begins Installing First EHF Satcom Hardware on B-2
March 17, 2010

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) technicians here have begun installing the first set of hardware for a B-2 stealth bomber upgrade that will eventually allow the jet to send and receive battlefield information up to 100 times faster than its current satellite communications system. The work is being done as part of Increment 1 of the U.S. Air Force's B-2 extremely high frequency (EHF) satellite communications program.

Northrop Grumman is the Air Force's prime contractor for the B-2 Spirit, the flagship of the nation's long range strike arsenal, and
one of the world's most survivable aircraft systems. The B-2 is the only combat-proven stealth platform in the current U.S. inventory.

"EHF Increment 1 puts in place the high speed data handling infrastructure that the B-2 will need to perform its most advanced
communications and weapons delivery missions in the future," said Col. Kevin Harms, USAF, Commander, 702nd Aeronautical Systems Group. "The beginning of hardware installation means that we are making solid progress getting this new capability out of the lab and into the hands of the warfighter."

"The installation of EHF Increment 1 hardware also means that we're nearly done with a significant task of software development, integration and testing for the program," added Dave Mazur, Northrop Grumman's vice president of long range strike and B-2 program manager.

According to Mazur, the new software was developed, integrated and tested by Northrop Grumman employees working at the Air Force's
Weapon Systems Support Center, Tinker AFB, Okla. Ground testing of the EHF Increment 1 hardware is planned for March, with flight testing expected to begin in April.

The first "kit" of EHF Increment 1 hardware includes:

-- A new integrated processing unit (IPU) developed by Lockheed Martin Systems Integration, Owego, NY., that will replace up to a dozen current stand-alone avionics computers on the B-2;

-- A new disk drive unit developed by Honeywell Defense and Space Electronic Systems, Plymouth, Minn., that will enable transfer of EHF data onto and off of the B-2; and

-- A network of fiber optic cable that will support the high speed data transfers within the aircraft.

The three-increment EHF Satcom program is part of an on-going effort by the Air Force and Northrop Grumman to modernize the B-2 to keep it fully mission capable against evolving enemy threats.

Increment 2 involves installation of a new communications terminal and new antennas that will allow the B-2 to transmit and receive information securely at EHF frequencies using the Advanced EHF satellite communications network. Increment 3 will integrate the B-2
into the U.S. Department of Defense's Global Information Grid, a worldwide network of information systems, processes and personnel
involved in collecting, storing, managing and disseminating information on demand to warfighters, policy makers and military support personnel.

The B-2 is the only U.S. aircraft that combines stealth, long range, large payload and precision weapons in a single platform. In
concert with the Air Force's air superiority fleet, which provides airspace control, and the Air Force's tanker fleet, which enables
global mobility, the B-2 helps ensure an effective U.S. response to threats anywhere in the world. It can fly more than 6,000 nautical
miles unrefueled and more than 10,000 nautical miles with just one aerial refueling, giving it the ability to reach any point on the globe within hours.

The 20-aircraft fleet of B-2s is operated by the 509th Bomb Wing from its headquarters at Whiteman AFB, Mo.

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Military Communications Satellite Built by Lockheed Martin Achieves 10 Years in Service

February 26, 2010 by Jeffrey Bradford · Comment
Filed under: Lockheed Martin, Syndicated Industry News, space 
Military Communications Satellite Built by Lockheed Martin Achieves 10 Years in Service
February 26, 2010 1:23:00 PM

SUNNYVALE, Calif., -- The U.S. Air Force's Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) B8 satellite, built by Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), has surpassed its 10-year design life of on-orbit service in providing secure and reliable communications capabilities for the warfighter.


Launched from Cape Canaveral on Jan. 20, 2000, the B8 satellite is one of 14 DSCS III spacecraft designed and built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems for the MILSATCOM Systems Wing at the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.


The satellite is also the first of four DSCS III satellites to feature Service Life Enhancement Program (SLEP) upgrades that enabled a 200-percent increase in communication capacity over original DSCS III spacecraft with its 50-watt Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers.


"The high performance and longevity of the DSCS III constellation is direct testimony to a joint U.S. Air Force/Lockheed Martin team dedicated to providing the warfighter with secure and reliable satellite communications," said Kevin Bilger, Lockheed Martin's vice president and general manager of Global Communications Systems. "The DSCS III constellation has provided the Department of Defense with its core communications capability for over two decades and will continue to make a significant contribution to our national security well into the future."


The system provides uninterrupted secure voice and high-data rate communications to Department of Defense users; essential tools in monitoring events and deploying and sustaining forces anywhere in the world. In 2009, the overall DSCS III constellation surpassed 200 years of on-orbit operations, the longest total operational experience of any U.S. military communications satellite constellation.


Lockheed Martin is also progressing on the Department of Defense's highly secure communications satellite system, the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) program. As the successor to Milstar, AEHF will increase data rates by a factor of five, permitting transmission of more tactical military communications, such as real-time video, battlefield maps and targeting data. The first AEHF spacecraft has completed final testing and is planned for delivery to the Air Force in second quarter 2010.

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U.S. Air Force Awards United Launch Alliance WGS-4 Satellite Launch — Press Release

January 5, 2010 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: Boeing, Business Line, Companies, Contract Awards, Countries, Events, Lockheed Martin, Press Releases, Satellites, Services, U.S. Air Force, United Launch Alliance, United States, development program, space 

U.S. Air Force Awards United Launch Alliance WGS-4 Satellite Launch

DENVER, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ — The U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center recently awarded United Launch Alliance a contract modification to perform the launch services for the Wideband Global SATCOM-4 (WGS-4) satellite aboard a Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle. The anticipated launch period is December 2011 – February 2012 from Space Launch Complex-37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

The WGS-4 mission will be the fourth satellite of the WGS system and the first in the Block II series. The WGS satellites are from the space component of a new high-capacity satellite communications system providing enhanced communications capabilities to America’s troops in the field for the next decade and beyond. WGS enables more robust and flexible execution of Command and Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), as well as battle management and combat support information functions.

WGS-4 will join the existing constellation of the WGS-1, 2 and 3 satellites and provide additional information broadcast capabilities. WGS-1 and WGS-2 were both launched previously on ULA Atlas V rockets on Oct. 10, 2007 and Apr. 3, 2009 respectfully. WGS-3 was launched on a Delta IV on Dec. 5, 2009.

“Following the launch of WGS-3, United Launch Alliance is proud to continue our vital role in providing the latest technology for the warfighter with this contract for the fourth launch of a WGS spacecraft,” said Michael Gass, ULA President and Chief Executive Officer. “The WGS constellation was the first series of satellites to launch on both the Atlas V and Delta IV launch vehicles since the inception of ULA. This operational flexibility for our government customers was a primary reason for the creation of ULA.”

This mission will be launched by the Delta IV Medium+ (5,4) configuration using a single common booster core with a Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 main engine with four Alliant Techsystems GEM 60 solid rocket motors, a PWR RL10B-2 upper stage engine and a five-meter diameter upper stage and composite payload fairing.

ULA program management, engineering, test and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo. Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala., Harlingen, Texas, and San Diego, Calif. Launch operations are located at CCAFS, Fla., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

For more information on the ULA joint venture, visit the ULA website at www.ulalaunch.com, or call the ULA Launch Hotline at 1-877-ULA-4321 (852-4321).

Source: United Launch Alliance

CONTACT: Michael Rein of United Launch Alliance, +1-321-730-5646, cell,
+1-321-693-6250, michael.j.rein@ulalaunch.com

Web Site: http://www.ulalaunch.com/

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Boeing Completes On-Orbit Handover of 2nd Wideband Global SATCOM Satellite to US Air Force –Press Release

June 17, 2009 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: Boeing, Business Line, Companies, Events, IT, Press Releases, Satellites, Services, U.S. Air Force, space 

Boeing Completes On-Orbit Handover of 2nd Wideband Global SATCOM Satellite to US Air Force

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., June 17, 2009 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] on June 15 successfully transferred control of the second Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite to the U.S. Air Force, which will monitor and control the new satellite from Schriever Air Force Base, Colo. WGS-2 was declared ready for Department of Defense operational testing after rigorous ground testing, an April 3 launch and a thorough on-orbit checkout. WGS satellites are the Defense Department’s highest-capacity
communications satellite, offering a major increase in bandwidth for airmen, soldiers, sailors and Marines.

“The Air Force could not be more pleased with the performance of the WGS government-industry team and, of course, the performance of this important satellite,” said Brig. Gen. Samuel Greaves, commander of the Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM) Systems Wing at the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles. “We have high
expectations in the MILSATCOM Systems Wing, and this team has once again proven that it is fully capable of meeting that challenge.”

The WGS system will augment and eventually replace the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) constellation. WGS-1, which Boeing delivered to the Air Force in January 2008, and WGS-2 together are capable of handling more than 25 times the capacity of the entire DSCS constellation. The Defense Department has ordered six WGS satellites
from Boeing and is making plans to buy more satellites to address growing SATCOM bandwidth needs worldwide.

“The WGS-2 handover is another important step in our overall mission to supply a system that will provide a quantum leap in wideband satellite communications worldwide,” said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. “Boeing is proud to have delivered another WGS satellite that is meeting and, in many cases, exceeding all requirements for our Air Force customer.”

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

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Contact:
Diana Ball
Space & Intelligence Systems
562-797-4303
diana.ball@boeing.com

Marc Selinger
Space & Intelligence Systems
703-414-6138
marc.selinger@boeing.com

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TSAT Contract Latest To Be Ended

June 9, 2009 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: Booz Allen Hamilton, Business Line, Companies, Congress, Department of Defense, Events, Federal Budget Process, Lockheed Martin, S&T, Satellites, Services, U.S. Air Force, development program, space 

Secretary of Defense Gates announced that in the FY10 budget plenty of different programs would be ended. Unlike previous administrations who decide to de-fund a contract in next year’s budget but let the current year play out Gates has aggressively ended the contracts. The latest one announced was the U.S. Air Force’s Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT).

When the budget plans were announced in April the plan was to end this system and begin development of two new separate systems for the same mission. The TSAT like most military satellite and space programs had suffered delays and cost problems. They were not insurmountable but as time goes by the Pentagon often looks at different or new requirements that the older planned systems may not meet.

So following in the footsteps of the VH-71, Future Combat Systems (FCS) and the Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) programs the TSAT contracts were terminated for convenience today. There were two separate contracts — one with Lockheed Martin for mission operations systems and one with Booz Allen Hamilton for systems engineering.

One idea of doing this so fast is to prevent Congress from keeping the program alive through continuing funding despite the Pentagon’s request. Without an active contract it will be hard to do this in the next year. More to come on all of these various moves as the budget makes its progress.

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