Space Force asks L3Harris for upgraded SATCOM electronic warfare jamming and enhanced multiband antenna
LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – U.S. Space Systems Command electronic warfare (EW) experts needed an upgraded counter-communications system (CCS) to jam enemy satellite communications (SATCOM) systems. They found a solution from L3Harris Technologies Inc. in Melbourne, Fla.
Officials of the Space Systems Command's Space Domain Awareness and Combat Directorate at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., announced a $33.5 million contract to L3Harris in late February for Counter Communication System Meadowlands development.
Space electronic warfare
CCS Meadowlands refers to an upgraded version of the U.S. military's ground-based Counter Communications System designed to disrupt enemy satellite communications temporarily by electronic warfare jamming. Meadowlands signifies a more portable and advanced iteration of the CCS for easier deployment to counter adversarial SATCOM.
This contract calls for L3Harris to design new capabilities and hardware enhancements to the CCS Meadowlands system. This includes providing ground-based and deployable offensive space control to deny enemy SATCOM and provide for equipment refresh.
Meadowlands interacts with the user via browser web pages, which help to set up, save, recall, create, and manage hardware and mission software.
L3Harris will add S-and X- bands to the Meadowlands Large Multiband Antenna (LMA) band additions to provide new dual-polarization feeds, low-noise amplifiers, power amplifiers, hardware, and interfaces with on-antenna trailer equipment, including an optional replacement Pol3 antenna that covers S-band.
Existing software code
The system's existing software code is a combination of CUDA, C/C++, and Java, and includes complex signal processing, which may require experienced signal processing programmers for the new Meadowlands environment, including the L3Harris Software-Defined Radio Daemon hardware abstraction layer.
The company also will develop new software applications and algorithms into the CCS Program, and begin testing CCS capabilities to refine space warfighting techniques and integrate into counter-EW architecture.
On this contract L3Harris will do the work at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla.; Colorado Springs and Greeley, Colo.; and Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., and should be finished by November 2028.
For more information contact L3Harris Technologies online at www.l3harris.com, or Space Systems Command's Space Domain Awareness and Combat Directorate online at https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Program-Offices/Space-Domain-Awareness-Combat-Power.
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.
