Navy chooses L3Harris to design and build wideband SATCOM terminals for ships, submarines, and shore sites
SAN DIEGO – U.S. Navy communications experts needed a new satellite communications (SATCOM) modem for use aboard surface warships, submarines, and shore installations. They found their solution from L3Harris Technologies Inc.
Officials of the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) in San Diego announced a $47.6 million contract Thursday to the L3Harris Communications Systems-East segment in Camden, N.J., to develop and build the Navy Wideband Anti-Jam Modem (WAM).
The WAM is the Navy's next-generation wideband SATCOM modem that will integrate with the Navy Multiband Terminal (NMT) on ships and submarines, and with the Modernization of Enterprise Terminal (MET) on shore for communications over the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite constellation.
The Navy may buy as many as 966 WAM production units over the lifetime of the program. This contract has options that could increase its value to $83.1 million.
NAVWAR awarded the contract on behalf of the Navy's Program Executive Office (PEO) Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) Communication and Global Positioning System Navigation Program Office (PMW/A 170) at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md.
The Navy Raytheon NMT next-generation SATCOM system provide assured connectivity between a ship's or submarine's computer network and the Global Information Grid. The system is expected to be installed in about 300 U.S. Navy ships, submarines, and shore stations.
NMT will replace several existing SATCOM systems developed in the mid-1980s, and will provide naval commanders and sailors with greater data throughput and improved protection against enemy intercepts.
The U.S. Army L3Harris MET is replacing as many as 80 AN/GSC-52, AN/GSC-39, AN/FSC-78, and other aging strategic SATCOM terminals with new X- and Ka-band terminals to provide internet protocol and dedicated circuit connectivity within the Global Information Grid.
On this contract L3Harris will do the work in Salt Lake City; Camden, N.J.; Tempe, Ariz.; Hanover, Md.; San Diego; Bonita Springs, Fla.; and Chambersburg, Pa., and should be finished by August 2027.
For more information contact L3Harris Communications Systems-East online at www2.l3t.com/cs-east, or Navy NAVWAR at www.public.navy.mil/navwar/Pages/default.aspx.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
