Viasat, Northrop Partner to Develop MILSATCOM Capabilities Under DEUCSI Program

Northrop Grumman and Viasat have partnered to support the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet program.

Under the partnership, Viasat will use its ViaSat-3 satellite communications network and Northrop Grumman’s processors and antennas to conduct DEUCSI experiments on multiple platforms. According to Viasat, the network ensures that warfighters have access to high-bandwidth satellite internet connectivity while they are deployed on aircraft or ground vehicles.

AFRL launched DEUCSI in 2017 to demonstrate how commercial satellite services can be used for military applications. Northrop received a four-year, $95 million DEUCSI contract from AFRL in June, SpaceNews reported Thursday.

Other DEUCSI contractors have also started working with subcontractors to support their work for the AFRL.

In February, Hughes Network Systems received a contract from SES Space & Defense under the DEUCSI program to provide its Network Management System, Enterprise Management and Cloud capabilities and Smart Network Edge software to create a flexible, software-defined, multi-orbit satellite communications network. SES will also integrate its low-Earth orbit solution into the Hughes auto-PACE offering to improve satellite communications resilience.