Government/Military

 Canadian satellite information solutions company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) has been awarded a contract extension from the Australian Defense Force (ADF) to continue providing its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities.             MDA announced July 11 that it would support UAV surveillance operations for the ADF’s deployed forces in Afghanistan for a third year. The timeframe for the extension...

 NewSat signed $2.35 million in new contracts during May and June to provide satellite communication services to Australian Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste, the company announced July 7.     The new contracts include: a proactive communications agreement to provide satellite service for U.S. Military troops in Southern Afghanistan; contracts with Atlas Iron and Nixon...

 The U.S. Air Force Space Command has named Apogee Engineering a prime contractor to provide engineering and communications support services for the U.S. GPS operations center in Colorado Springs, Colo., the Air Force announced July 5.    A.I. Solutions was also named a subcontractor to monitor and collect GPS satellite precise positioning service and standard positioning service telemetry data, as...

TeleCommunication Systems (TCS) has received $12.8 million in funding from the U.S. Army for equipment and field services to support of Secret IP Router and Non-secure IP Router Access Point (SNAP) VSAT satellite systems, TCS announced.             TCS said it would use the funding to ensure equipment and support for TCS’ reliable SwiftLink deployable communications products. These awards...

The U.S. Navy awarded a $51.6 million contract to Raytheon to provide logistics support for the Navy’s Extremely High Frequency Satellite Program (NESP) communication terminals, Raytheon announced June 16.     The performance-based logistics contract calls for Raytheon Technical Services Company to fulfill all requisitions; warehouse and track government-furnished material; resolve supply-obsolescence or source issues; and evaluate, test, repair and/or...

Honeywell has put forth its offer to acquire wireless product developer EMS Technologies for about $491 million in cash in an effort to expand its presence into the mobile and satellite communication industries. The value of the transaction is expected to increase to about $506 million — representing a premium of 33 percent to EMS’s June 10 closing price....

When we last spoke with Inmarsat’s Senior Vice President of Government Policy, Strategy, and Outreach Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch, the company’s concerns over Ka-band terminal technology falling behind the capability of the available Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) space segment were described as a target issue that required quick action.    While Cowen-Hirsch is happy to report that...

The U.S. House of Representatives is making alterations to the U.S. Air Force budget in a defense spending bill that is expected to reduce the budget for the GPS space and ground segments from $463.1 million to about $413 million. Congressional appropriators also are expected to slim the Air Force’s $390.9 million request for its GPS OCX by...

[Satellite News 07-12-11] Despite the Chinese government’s recent vocal opposition to the militarization of space, a U.K. Journal of Strategic Studies report leaked July 12 claims that the country is in the process of developing sophisticated reconnaissance satellites that would support Chinese tactical military operations.    “China’s rapid development of advanced reconnaissance satellites to enable...

[Satellite TODAY 07-11-11] EMS Technologies’ Defense and Space subsidiary has won a contract with Thales Alenia Space to provide Ka-band redundant low noise amplifier (RLNA) switching hardware to support Europe’s Athena-Fidus satellite, EMS announced July 8.    EMS will deliver civil broadband Internet technologies, including a ferrite switch and driver electronics, to meet Thales Alenia...