Defence Online

ViaSat delivers datalink system for US Navy

Maritime June 16, 2017

ViaSat has confirmed a follow-on contract has been put in place for its datalink communications system for the US Navy.

Working through Lockheed Martin, on the integration and test phase of the US Navy’s Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) program, ViaSat is providing Weapon Data Link (WDL) L-Band Units (LBU) to support the overall missile test program’s datalink communications requirements, as well as engineering support for software enhancements and flight test support.

The LRASM program is the key pillar of the US Navy’s Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) effort to improve its ability to engage and destroy high-value targets from extended range. The ViaSat datalink solution will enable the LRASM weapon system to communicate with launch platforms and provide growth opportunities in the future.

“Being selected by Lockheed Martin to provide the datalink unit for LRASM is a huge milestone for us,” said Ken Peterman, president, Government Systems, ViaSat. “It validates our approach to the weapon datalink market by leveraging next-generation technology from our Battlefield Awareness and Targeting System (BATS) product line. The ViaSat datalink units provide highly-advanced communications capabilities and enhanced performance beyond previous weapon datalink offerings as well as a significantly reduced form factor with minimal development expense to our customers.”

The LRASM solution is just the first in a series of offerings that ViaSat plans to bring to the marketplace over the next 12-18 months.

Images: © Lockheed Martin

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BATS LBU Lockheed Martin LRASM OASuW US Navy WDL

Post written by: Vicky Maggiani

Vicky has worked in media for over 20 years and has a wealth of experience in editing and creating copy for a variety of sectors.