CARLSBAD, Calif., 12 June 2007.ViaSat Inc. won a $3.7 million award from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to develop and implement an enhanced military UHF satellite communications waveform, called the integrated waveform (IW).
As a requirement of the Department of Defense's Defense Standardization Program, the IW is designed to prolong the life of the UHF Demand Assigned Multiple Access (DAMA) Satcom System by enabling it to support the new applications and higher performance that users expect from their networks. DISA has revised the military specifications for UHF Satcom to match the need for faster, more efficient, and easier-to use communications.
This Phase I award of a two-phase program focuses on implementing pre-assigned services into the IW. ViaSat will develop the IW Channel Control System software to enable operation of this new network, implement the Phase I IW waveform in ViaSat MD-1324 modems and the RT-18XX family of terminals, and support fielding and training for the IW Channel Controller and user terminals.
Phase II, with an anticipated award this summer, will expand the functionality of the UHF Satcom network and the user terminal equipment to include demand assigned services.
"Over the past several years we have been actively supporting DISA efforts to enhance beyond line of sight communications for the warfighter over UHF Satcom," says Phil Berry, VP and GM of ViaSat Government Satcom Systems. "ViaSat was selected to upgrade our DAMA system controllers because of our history of success in fielding UHF DAMA Satcom network control equipment for the U.S. DoD and our allies."
Until new transformational satellite systems become operational, the U.S. DoD still relies heavily on the UHF Satcom System for tactical military communications.
