U.S. Space Force Awards Boeing WGS-12 Communications Satellite Production Contract

Rendering of WGS-12 Credit: Boeing

Boeing [NYSE: BA] received a $439.6 million contract to build the 12th Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) communications satellite for U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command. The WGS constellation delivers vital high-capacity, secure, and resilient communications capabilities to the U.S. military and its allies.

The WGS's responsive, steerable, high-capacity beams provide assured connectivity via the Protected Tactical Enterprise Service (PTES) ground system and enhanced anti-jam communications by combining the U.S. military's jam-resistant Protected Tactical Waveform with antenna nulling in the Ka band. The anti-jam capability of Boeing's new Protected Tactical Satcom Prototype payload will also be integrated on WGS-12, providing a second Protected Wideband Satellite to the U.S. military, and expanding anti-jam tactical communications capacity for U.S. warfighters and allies to operate in multiple contested theaters.

"We are proud to be a mission partner and are ready to continue providing protected tactical communications to the warfighter," said Michelle Parker, vice president of Space Mission Systems. "Like WGS-11, the 12th WGS satellite will provide critical capabilities to our military with over 1,500 individually steerable, shapeable beams in the Ka band, ensuring tactical forces have resilient communications."

Leveraging additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, agile development, and other advanced techniques, Boeing's WGS-12 communications satellite offers significant growth in system performance. Boeing is currently building WGS-11 at its El Segundo, Calif., site.