Via Satellite illustration

The U.S. Army Future Command awarded Kratos Defense & Security Solutions a contract to develop a virtualized satcom ground system based on its OpenSpace Platform.

Kratos received the contract from the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), funded through the Network Command, Control, Communication, and Intelligence Cross-Functional Team (N-CFT) established by the Army’s Future Command.

The N-CFT is responsible for enabling reliable Army communications in all domains and environments. It drives the requirements and transitions to deliver a network that is “expeditionary, mobile, hardened and intuitive.” 

Kratos said the solution will enable the government to field satcom networks in line with modernization goals, including streamlining gateway and remote terminal capabilities supported by multiple vendors. The OpenSpace platform, introduced in October 2020,  digitizes the RF signals flowing to and from satellites so they can be processed and managed in virtual environments.

“A strategic goal of the military is to operate an integrated satcom enterprise, which increases assured satcom access for the warfighter and improves the effectiveness of the infrastructure by enhancing resilience. Kratos’ OpenSpace Platform will show how critical satellite network operations can be made interoperable across domains,” said Chris Badgett, vice president of Technology for Kratos Space.