Raytheon to build DARPA communications node

Raytheon to build DARPA communications node

Designers at Raytheon Co. in Lexington, Mass., are building an airborne communications node for battlefield communications. The project, which Raytheon is performing under supervision of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in Arlington, Va., is to augment and improve mobile communications for all branches of the U.S. military, Raytheon officials say. The system has a multiplatform backbone that supports internet-like data networking, surrogate satellite support, cellular-like communications, paging, tactical battlefield broadcast, and high-throughput data, voice, and video. Any aircraft can host the new system, including unmanned aerial vehicles. - J.K.