Scott Nicholas
A team comprised of Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Comtech Telecommunications has integrated and tested a new terminal platform with an engineering model of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency payload.
The Lockheed-Northrop-Comtech team developed the Low Cost Terminal in a push to address a demand for terminals that can offer mobile access to the AEHF military satellite communications network’s protected communications system, Lockheed said Thursday.
The integration and test efforts occurred at Northrop’s facility in Redondo Beach, California, and assessed the terminal’s hardware and software features and capacity to communicate the AEHF waveform as well as the system’s readiness for over-the-air-testing with on-orbit satellites.
Iris Bombelyn, vice president of protected communications at Lockheed’s space systems business, said the LCT team aims to demonstrate the potential of the terminal to receive and transmit information in congested and hostile environments.
Bombelyn added the AEHF is designed to provide an assured communications link to national and military leaders of the U.S. and its allies.
The LCT team currently develops airborne, ground comm-on-the-move and rapidly deployable fixed terminal variants designed for tactical applications.
Lockheed said testing of the platform in the coming months will include an on-orbit demonstration with an AEHF satellite.
