[Satellite Today – 5-28-08] Harris Corp. has been awarded a potential five-year, $85 million Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract from the U.S. Navy for multiband satellite communications terminals, the company announced May 28. These terminals will provide advanced communications for aircraft carriers and other large deck ships. Under the IDIQ contract, the company received an initial $15 million.
    Harris will supply 2.7-meter satellite communications terminals with C- and Ku-band capabilities for the Navy’s Commercial Broadband Satellite Program Force Level Variant. The higher bandwidth capacity of these terminals will enable the Navy to augment military satellite communications by supporting essential mission requirements and by providing high-speed Internet access for as many as 5,000 military personnel onboard each aircraft carrier. The new terminals will replace existing Harris AN/WSC-8 terminals that have provided shipboard C-band communications for the Navy for more than ten years.