Elodie Collins
Northrop Grumman has completed a demonstration of its hybrid satellite communication terminal for an Air Force Research Laboratory program that aims to connect air and ground military platforms to commercial satcom.
During the test, the hybrid satcom terminal delivered connectivity with two commercial networks: the Viasat Ka band service through the ViaSat-3 F1 satellite in geosynchronous orbit and a proliferated low Earth orbit Ku band communications network, Northrop said Thursday.
The test showed that the terminal can rapidly switch constellations and orbit to provide uninterrupted connectivity. The terminal is equipped with a Northrop Grumman-made radio and an antenna from GetSat.
According to Steven Conn, director of advanced communications and signals intelligence at Northrop Grumman, the effort is a response to the U.S. Space Force’s need for resilient communications to support the development and fielding of warfighter technologies.
“This successful test, leveraging a diverse team of commercial and defense satcom providers, is critical for the pace of maturity on the Global Lightning program and the ability to begin flight testing in the near future,” said Conn.
The test is part of the AFRL Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet, or Global Lightning.
In 2023, the defense company secured an $80.3 million sole-source contract to develop and demonstrate a system that can connect military platforms and commercial space internet services.
