Next-Stage C4ISR Bandwidth: The AEHF Satellite Program
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DID’s FOCUS articles offer in-depth, updated looks at significant military programs of record. This article offers a look at the AEHF system’s rationale and capabilities, while offering insight into some of the program’s problems, and an updated timeline covering over $5 billion worth of contracts since the program’s inception.
The USA’s new Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellites will support twice as many tactical networks, while providing 10-12 times the capacity and 6 times higher data rate transfer than that of the current Milstar II satellites. With the cancellation of the higher-capacity TSAT program, AEHF will form the secure, hardened backbone of the Pentagon’s future Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM) architecture. Its companion Family of Advanced Beyond-line-of-sight Terminals (FAB-T) program will give the US military modern capabilities, and more flexibility on the receiving end. The program has international components, and partners include Britain, Canada, and the Netherlands.
This article has been updated with a recent $39.5 million contract for Lockheed Martin Space Systems to provide contractor sustainment for the AEHF satellite ground segment…
- The AEHF Program
- FAB-T Terminals and Ground Control
- FAB-T: Contracts and Key Events, full history
- The AEHF Satellites
- The AEHF Satellites: Contracts & Key Events, full history [updated]
- Additional Readings
Subscribe here to get the full story covering the AEHF high-bandwidth satellites, reference materials, pictures, timelines and our daily updates to this and many other programs.
- Tracking of billions of dollars in awards as part of the AEHF's multi-billion dollar budget
- Key contract developments (including incomplete contracts), events, and recent annual budgets organized by year
- Developments including the influence of a key NSA failure on the program.
- Discussion of AEHF's intertwined relationship with the TSAT Transformation SATCOM project.
- Articles, additional sources and links to more DII Spotlight, Focus and Daily Reports, as well as official government documents.
- Multiple graphics showing aspects of the system
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