CARLSBAD, Calif., 14 July 2008. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. officials awarded ViaSat Inc. a $12 million award from for the manufacture, integration, test, and delivery of a Communication, Navigation, and Identification (CNI) Function Stimulator (CFS) for avionics testing of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

This follow-on CNI Stimulator is part of the Verification and Validation Facility (VVF) for the U.S. Reprogramming Laboratory (USRL) at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. ViaSat officials say delivery of the CFS to Lockheed Martin is scheduled for 2010.

The complexity of the avionics systems in state-of-the-art fighter aircraft requires realistic test environments and accurate signal representation, ViaSat officials say. ViaSat RF stimulators provide a CNI test environment and reduce the cost of in-flight testing.

RF stimulation from ViaSat goes beyond simulation and computer modeling techniques to stimulate the avionics environment with real signals of RF energy, including RF jamming and background signals, company officials say.