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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COM DEV USA Awarded US Government Satellite Contract — Press Release

November 13, 2009 by Matthew Potter · Comment
Filed under: Business Line, Contract Awards, Events, IT, Press Releases, Satellites, space 

COM DEV USA Awarded US Government Satellite Contract

EL SEGUNDO, CA, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — COM DEV USA, LLC, a subsidiary of COM DEV International Ltd. (TSX: CDV), today announced that it has been awarded a contract valued in excess of US$7 million to provide passive microwave equipment for a US Government space program. This contract covers work on the fourth spacecraft in a multiple-satellite constellation, and follows a contract announced last month relating to the third spacecraft in the same program. Design and production work will be performed at COM DEV USA’s manufacturing facility in El Segundo, California with delivery scheduled for the middle of fiscal 2011.

“In the past month we have announced over $20 million of new contract wins for work on three separate satellites,” said Dan White, President of COM DEV USA. “We begin our 2010 fiscal year with a very healthy backlog that should allow us to maintain the momentum we have established at our El Segundo facility. We achieved or exceeded all our major targets in 2009 and we are very excited about continuing to execute our growth strategy.”

About COM DEV

COM DEV International Ltd. (www.comdevintl.com) is a leading global designer and manufacturer of space hardware subsystems. With facilities in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, COM DEV manufactures advanced products and subsystems that are sold to major satellite prime contractors for use in communications, space science, remote sensing and military satellites.

This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from results indicated in any forward-looking statements. The Company cautions that, among other things, in view of the rapid changes in communications markets and technologies, and other risks including the cost and market acceptance of the Company’s new products, the level of individual customer procurements and competitive product offerings and pricing, and general economic circumstances, the Company’s business prospects may be materially different from forward-looking statements made by the Company.

The triangular logo and the word COM DEV are each registered trademarks and the property of COM DEV Ltd. All rights reserved.

Source: Com Dev International Ltd.

CONTACT: Gary Calhoun, Chief Financial Officer, COM DEV International,
Tel: (519) 622-2300 ext. 2826, gary.calhoun@comdev.ca; Dan White, President, COM DEV USA, Tel: (424) 456-8006, dan.white@comdev-usa.com; Jeff Codispodi, The Equicom Group, Tel: (416) 815-0700 ext. 261, jcodispodi@equicomgroup.com

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SAIC lands missile systems deal

September 28, 2009 by admin · Comment
Filed under: Syndicated Industry News 

MCLEAN, Va., Sept. 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force awarded Science Applications International Corp. a $49 million contract for analysis and assessment for the military satellite constellation.

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