The US Air Force increased by 2 billions of dollars worth of the contract with Raytheon for the production and support of the terminals, which connect the planes, command posts and other platforms
with the military's most secure satellite communications network. 13 March 2026 2018, the Strategic Communications Department of the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center announced, which raised the ceiling on the existing contract for the Secure Communications Satellite Grouping Terminals (USZZ-T). The contract was originally concluded with Raytheon in 2021 year with a ceiling of 960 millions of dollars, and after the last increase, the total potential value of the contract approaches 3 billions of dollars.
For reference: Raytheon (part of RTX Corporation) is one of the largest American defense corporations in the world, leading arms supplier, military equipment, radars and aerospace technologies. The company is known for the development of the Patriot air defense system, Tomahawk and Stinger missiles, and also actively cooperates with Ukraine.
The Office of Strategic Communications is responsible for procurement and maintenance of communications systems, which are used in the US nuclear command system, control and communication. This architecture allows the president and senior military leaders to transmit orders and maintain contact with nuclear forces in any environment, including conflicts involving the use of nuclear weapons. In this system, satellite communication is one of the main channels for the transfer of secure messages between national leadership and operational forces.
The contract covers the terminal segment of the architecture — equipment, installed on aircraft, ground stations and command posts, which allows them to connect to USZZ. Satellites of the group provide highly encrypted, communication channels resistant to jamming, designed to work in hostile conditions. The network is the backbone of the Pentagon's secure satellite communications architecture and is used for sensitive missions, including nuclear command and control.
The USZZZ-T program is not a single device, a category, covering several types of user terminals, which have access to the satellite network. The Raytheon contract supports production, integration and support of these systems. One of the largest is the Series of modern extra-visual communication terminals (SSTPZ). These air terminals provide secure communications for strategic aircraft, who should remain in contact with the national leadership in crisis situations. Systems are integrated on military aircraft, such as the E-4B Nightwatch and the B-52 Stratofortress, enable these platforms to exchange encrypted voice and data over UHF, even in high-noise environments.
Another system, which is supported under the USZZZ-T contract, is a secure mobile jam-proof reliable tactical terminal (ZMZNT-T). These portable ground terminals are used by deployed command posts and senior staff units to maintain secure satellite communications in the field. ZMZNT-T was originally developed for the previous Milstar satellite system, but later modernized to work with USZZ.
Source: https://spacenews.com