Raytheon First to Successfully Test With On-Orbit AEHF Satellite

Nov 24, 2011 (SPX) SpaceWar.com

Marlborough, MA - Raytheon has become the first to successfully test with the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite. Raytheon's Army Secure Mobile Anti-jam Reliable Tactical Terminal (SMART-T) is the first operationally-fielded terminal to interoperate with an on-orbit AEHF satellite.

The first AEHF satellite, launched in August 2010, recently began an extensive set of operational tests. In this testing, SMART-T AEHF has already demonstrated interoperable communications using the AEHF satellite's eXtended Data Rate (XDR) waveform, moving data more than five times faster than previous EHF systems.

In addition, it demonstrated backward compatibility to low and medium data rate operation supported by earlier EHF satellites on the new AEHF satellite. SMART-T AEHF is both in production and fielded.

"Our success in this on-orbit test of AEHF, along with our demonstrated capability to develop, produce and field complex EHF and AEHF terminals for the Army, Navy and Air Force, results from a three-decade commitment to our EHF/AEHF terminal product line," said Scott Whatmough, vice president, Raytheon Network Centric Systems' Integrated Communication Systems.

"In addition to being fielded today, the proven technology and modular design of our AEHF terminal product line enables us to rapidly and affordably adapt our terminals to new missions and new platforms in the future."

Raytheon will deliver 364 AEHF SMART-T terminals to the U.S. armed services.

"We are delivering the next generation protected and enduring communications to the military. This increased capability will provide our armed services with more mission flexibility and significantly increased capacity to provide protected voice, data and video communications supporting strategic and tactical missions," added Whatmough.

The AEHF SMART-T systems incorporate Raytheon's eXtended Data Rate (XDR) waveform hardware and software, a complex technological breakthrough in protected communications. The new XDR waveform provides users with increased bandwidth and speed, enabling strategic and tactical military communications.