Viasat phased array technology. Photo: Viasat

Viasat will develop a phased array antenna for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory under a contract as part of the ‘Global Lightning’ program. 

The AFRL awarded Viasat a $33.6 million contract under the Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) program, the operator announced Tuesday. The DEUCSI program, known as ‘Global Lightning’ aims to support government use of commercial satellite connectivity and services. 

Viasat will develop a new active electronically scanned array (AESA) antenna for tactical aircraft that can enable connections across different frequencies, orbits and commercial networks. Viasat has existing commercial AESA technology and has received phased array antenna technology development contracts across land, maritime, space, and airborne applications.

Michael Maughan, vice president of Space and Mission Systems for Viasat Government commented: “We believe hybrid resilient communication solutions are central to future government mobility operations and our teams are committed to continuing to help solve these multi-band, multi-orbit, multi-constellation interoperability challenges with high performance, cost-effective capabilities.”

Earlier this year, Viasat won a subcontract to support Northrop Grumman’s work for the DEUCSI program with its ViaSat-3 satellite communications. Many satellite operators and hardware companies have worked with the AFRL as part of this program, including SES Space & Defense, OneWeb and Hughes Network Systems.