Raytheon is upgrading the U.S. Army's strategic communications terminals
The U.S. Air Force has awarded a contract to Raytheon to modernize strategic military communications terminals and resume their production.
In the initial phase, $800,000 has been allocated to fulfill the agreement. The total contract ceiling is $8 billion.
The contract will remain in effect until October 12, 2036. The U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, located at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts, is responsible for its implementation.
According to The Defense Blog, one of Raytheon’s key areas of work for this center is the FAB-T (Family of Advanced Beyond-Line-of-Sight Terminals) program.
It involves the development of systems that provide secure communications between military aircraft, ground command posts, and military satellites.
The system can operate even under conditions of electronic jamming and nuclear exposure. It is used to transmit critical messages, attack warnings, and orders related to the use of nuclear weapons.
In 2014, Raytheon took over the FAB-T program from Boeing. The initial plan was to manufacture 61 ground terminals and 23 airborne terminals.
The new contract continues Raytheon’s collaboration with the U.S. Air Force in the field of secure military communications.
AEHF Satellite System
In March, the company also received a contract amendment worth $2.01 billion to support terminals for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite system.
AEHF terminals are ground-based and mobile communication devices that enable military personnel to communicate with the AEHF satellite constellation. The system is designed to provide reliable and jamming-resistant communications for strategic and tactical forces.
AEHF satellites operate in the Extremely High Frequency (EHF) band and feature advanced jamming protection, low probability of signal interception, and secure encryption. These characteristics make the system critical for ensuring nuclear command, control, and communications, as well as secure communications with deployed military units.
This was reported by the Pentagon. The contract was awarded without a competitive bidding process.
Raytheon was awarded a contract worth up to $6.3 billion to produce the SM-3 — Breaking Defense.
The U.S. Navy has awarded Raytheon a contract worth up to $24.4 billion for the SM-6 — Defense News.
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