Raytheon Co. has been awarded the U.S. Navy’s Multiband Terminal (NMT) contract with its combined lifetime development and production value in excess of $1 billion, Raytheon announced June 4.

Raytheon Network Centric Systems will develop, deliver and support an advanced satellite communication system consisting of shipboard and shore-based communication terminals for the transformational communications component of the Navy’s FORCEnet architecture.

The Navy expects to field the terminals for operational test and evaluation in late 2009, pursuant to U.S. Department of Defense plans for its advanced extremely high frequency satellite constellation to be operational in 2010.