XTAR wins $5.6 million L-3 contract to provide X-band support for U.S. Army manned airborne ISR

HERNDON, Va., 18 Dec. 2013. XTAR LLC won a $5.6 million contract renewal from L-3 Communication Systems-West to provide X-band satellite connectivity to the U.S. Army for manned airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (AISR) mission support.

XTAR will deliver space segment capacity on multiple XTAR-EUR beams, including Middle East and global beams. The satellite will support connectivity to Army-operated King Air 350 and Dash 8 aircraft. The contracted satellite capacity has increased to satisfy growing requirements, which include achieving higher data rates and supporting additional aircraft.

“Even as the U.S. military proceeds to withdraw from areas of major conflict, the appetite for satellite bandwidth is on the increase,” explains Philip Harlow, president and chief operating officer of XTAR. “Bandwidth to efficiently transmit large volumes of data is critical to the nation’s security. Space segment users who facilitate AISR missions represent one of XTAR’s fastest growing customer bases.”

XTAR-EUR, at 29 degrees east longitude, provides commercial X-band coverage from Eastern Brazil across the Atlantic Ocean as far east as Singapore. The flexible payload is delivered through its two global, one fixed, and four steerable spot beams, able to be relocated anywhere within the satellite’s coverage area.

The contract renewal, effective 1 November 2013, spans one year.

XTAR LLC is a privately owned satellite operator delivering X-band services to U.S. and allied government users. Today, XTAR enables mobile command posts, disaster response operations, special operations platforms on land and sea, and airborne sensor data operating in the harshest environments, officials say.