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Canada became the first international partner to connect to the AEHF network in recent tests with several terminal types.
Image credit: Lockheed Martin
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[Satellite TODAY 06-24-13] The United States is no longer alone in testing Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) technology as Canada became the first country approved to use and test the Lockheed Martin-produced satellite system, according to company officials.
Officials familiar with the technology said AEHF has many applications ranging from tactical to providing secure routes of communication for sensitive information. "The president would use this [technology] during a time of crisis. In the case of a nuclear attack," said Mark Lewis, spokesperson for Lockheed Martin.
According to Lewis, AEHF satellites, which had first been available to the U.S. government, have several advantages including preventative jamming measures and stronger encryption. "Jam proofing is quite sophisticated, it’s the most protected communications," he added.
The U.S. Air Force has been allowing select groups to use AEHF for testing as it fields the system, but this expansion means more users beyond the U.S. could soon have more frequent access.
“I see this as a positive move,” said Jay Gullish, director of space and telecommunications with Futron Corporation, a space and satellite consulting firm. “The use of coalition forces are a multiplying effect, allowing interoperability between forces, increased communication with our allies and protection they would not have otherwise had.”
According to Lewis, other U.S. partners include the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. "We developed this program with international partners in mind, that [this] level of capacity could be shared," he said.
Canada’s testing-phase partnership with the United States is significant, Lewis said, noting that "this is the first time anyone outside the U.S. was able to access this type of technology."
A joint effort by a U.S.-Canada team resulted in the successful communication with the AEHF 1 satellite using a variant of the SMART-T terminal from a location near Canada’s capital, Ottawa.
"Users were able to exchange data with the U.S. Air Force’s Fourth Space Operations Squadron located at Schriever Air Force Base [in] Colorado. In later exercises, the U.S. supported Canadian forces as they tested multiple Navy Multi-Band IP variant terminals to exchange data over AEHF networks," a Lockheed Martin written statement said.
AEHF’s protected communication capabilities are operational and have wide appeal, according to Mark Calassa, vice president of protected communications at Lockheed Martin.
"This event was an integrated effort that spanned countries, armed services and product lines. It shows our employees are delivering a complex system that works well, enhances capability and improves allied missions," Calassa said.
While the Canadian government will continue testing for AEHF for several months, they will subsequently begin operational capability. The United Kingdom and Netherlands and are scheduled to complete their first terminal connections by the end of 2013, according to the Lockheed Martin statement.
According to Lewis, Lockheed will have a total constellation of six AEHF protected communications satellites by 2019. The first, AEHF 1, was launched in 2010 and to date there are already two satellites in orbit, with a third, AEHF 3, scheduled for a September 2013 launch. All of the Lockheed Martin satellites are assembled at the company’s Sunnyvale, Calif., facility.
As previously reported by SatelliteTODAY.COM, Lockheed was awarded a contract to manufacture the first two AEHF satellites for the U.S. Air Force, which at that time was expected to generate nearly $2 billion for the company. The AEHF system provides vastly improved global, survivable, highly secure, and protected communications capabilities for strategic command and tactical warfighters operating on ground, sea and air platforms.
"A single AEHF satellite provides greater total capacity than the entire legacy five-satellite Milstar constellation. Individual user data rates will increase five-fold, permitting transmission of tactical military communications, such as real-time video, battlefield maps and targeting data. In addition to its tactical mission, AEHF provides the critical survivable, protected and endurable communications links to national leaders, including presidential conferencing in all levels of conflict," the statement said.
The program is part of a partnership with Northrop Grumman which recently delivered the first of approximately 20 electronics units for a fourth AEHF satellite payload, allowing the integration and test phase of production to get under way.
Delivery of the uplink phased array high-efficiency converter (UHEC) means that testing of the uplink phased array subsystem can begin later this year. Each UHEC operates the uplink phased array antennas on each payload, said Stuart Linsky, vice president, communications programs, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.
The UHEC delivery paved the way for payload integration and testing, which began May 1, two months earlier than baseline planning requires. All electronics units will be integrated onto AEHF 4’s payload module, which was delivered ahead of schedule last November by AEHF prime contractor Lockheed.
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