U.S. Army Orders High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) Technology from Viasat

Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global leader in satellite communications, has been selected by the U.S. Army as part of its Commercial Satellite High-Throughput, Low Latency assessment (HT-LL).

The Army PEO-C3T has ordered Viasat’s High-Throughput Upgrade Kits, which utilize the Army’s HAWKEYE III LITE terminals connected to the Viasat High-Capacity Ka-band network to provide flexible, secure, and resilient communications. The solution will also provide resilient connectivity with a multi-frequency band and multi-waveform modem with the Viasat CBM-400.

Army officials are currently conducting trials on different solutions for providing high-capacity satellite communications for Army units and Expeditionary Signal Battalions – Enhanced (ESB-E). ESB-E’s are agile battalions which carry tactical network equipment and enable uninterrupted mission command and the ability to rapidly deploy and maneuver units across a battlefield.

As part of the upgrade, the Army’s 51st ESB-E will use the new terminals to connect to Viasat’s HTS network, which provides reliable and resilient Ka-band coverage with throughput rates up to 100 Mbps. The ESB-E’s plan is to test them in different operational environments to provide feedback and inform the overall network design for all ESBs across the Army.

“We’re proud to work with the Army to bring expanded capability to soldiers and show how commercial satellite technology offers significant benefits for military users,” said Victor Farah, vice president of Viasat Government Systems. “Our High Throughput Satellite technology enables resilient connectivity across Viasat’s high-capacity Ka-band network and can be set up in a matter of minutes with minimal training required. That is a major win for the warfighter when operations require fast connectivity with minimum complexity.”