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US Air Force Demonstrates Communications Between FAB-T and Milstar Satellite
Posted 2/23/2011 Updated 2/23/2011
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Release Number: 030211
2/23/2011 - LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Air Force announced today that it has successfully demonstrated over-the-air, low-data-rate communication between an orbiting Milstar satellite and the Family of Advanced Beyond line-of-sight Terminal.
The Jan. 26 demonstration included a series of uplink and downlink communication tests that involved passing voice and data communication between a third-generation (Block 8) FAB-T unit and the legacy Milstar satellite. The FAB-T unit used its low-data-rate software to transmit through its newly developed large aircraft antenna.
"This successful FAB-T test demonstrates the continuous progress made by the dedicated team that is building this critical Nuclear Command and Control Network Communications System," said Dave Madden, MILSATCOM systems director, Space and Missile Systems Center. "This over-the-air test demonstrated for the first time that the more advanced Block 8 terminal can communicate with the Milstar satellite, and serve as a network node with two legacy Milstar terminals."
The Block 8 FAB-T terminal offers high-data-rate communications with Advanced Extremely High FrequencyEHF) satellites, but also provides backward capability with legacy Milstar satellites using low-data-rate communications.
"These tests validated system interoperability by demonstrating both voice and data communication," said Madden. "They follow successful risk-reduction flight testing, as well as an intersegment test of the terminal communicating with the AEHF satellite payload on the ground."
Boeing and its industry team - L-3 Communications, Rockwell Collins and ViaSat, Inc. - will conduct a series of terminal integration, software testing and flight testing activities before building this survivable, secure command and control system. Boeing is developing both low-data-rate and high-data-rate terminals and software as part of the overall system. Successful testing of an earlier version of the low-data-rate terminal software assessed signal acquisition and data downlink and was completed in September 2007.
The Boeing System Integration and Testing Lab in Huntington Beach includes 12 FAB-T systems with connections to three antennas, allowing simultaneous over-the-air operation. This facility will support in-depth FAB-T system integration tests in 2011.
"We're on track to complete hardware and qualification testing later this year," said John Lunardi, Boeing vice president and FAB-T program manager. "We have more than 80 percent of the hardware qualification testing and nearly 65 percent of the software qualification testing completed."
The FAB-T products include software-defined radios capable of protected communication, antennas and associated user interface hardware and software that will provide the government with a survivable and powerful system. The program is scheduled to enter flight testing in 1st quarter FY2013 and exercise low rate initial production option in 3rd quarter FY2013.
FAB-T is managed by the MILSATCOM Systems Directorate at Los Angeles AFB, Calif. The MILSATCOM Systems Directorate executes an annual budget over $2.4 billion as it plans for, acquires and sustains space-based global communications in support of the President, Secretary of Defense and combat forces. The MILSATCOM enterprise consists of satellites, terminals and control stations and provides communications for over 16,000 air, land and sea platforms.
Media representatives can submit questions for response regarding this topic by sending an e-mail to smcpa.media@losangeles.af.mil.
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