American company Kymeta, manufacturer of satellite dishes, concluded a supply agreement 138 of Osprey u8 flat terminals and spare kits for the US Army's 4th Infantry Division, located on the base of Fort Carson, State of Colorado. The project is implemented within the framework of the pilot program to improve ground communication within the framework of the Next Generation Command and Control initiative (NGC2), aimed at modernizing the communication infrastructure of the armed forces. The value of the contract is not disclosed.
Osprey u8 terminals are commercial devices, adapted for military use. They provide communication through satellites in low and geostationary orbits, using electronic beam scanning instead of mechanical guidance. Antennas are planned to be installed on military trucks, tactical vehicles and robotic platforms to ensure communication of higher levels of command.
The pilot project in Division 4 will be the first phase of testing for the NGC2 program, which involves cooperation with several manufacturers and the use of commercial off-the-shelf solutions (COTS). If the test results are positive, the Army may expand the use of the new antennas to all 10 active divisions.
The company is also developing a dual-band version of the Osprey, able to work simultaneously in Ku- and Ka-bands. Expected, that a new modification will appear within two years. The current version only works in the Ku-band.
The modular architecture of the antennas allows you to change modems or cartridges to work with different satellite providers. Interest in dual-band solutions is growing in connection with preparations for the launch of the Amazon Kuiper satellite network, which will work in the Ka-band.
The use of multi-band terminals will increase the resilience of the army's communication systems, will reduce the number of equipment models and reduce dependence on individual satellite operators.
After the announcement of Kymeta's participation in the NGC2 program, the company received numerous offers of cooperation from other enterprises in the defense sector, which emphasizes the growth of its influence on the market of military communications.
Source: https://spacenews.com