WASHINGTON — Hughes Network Systems announced Feb. 21 that it will supply modems and other ground-based technology to SES Space & Defense for military experiments aimed at establishing a multivendor mobile communications network.
SES is planning a demonstration under the U.S. Air Force’s DEUCSI (Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet) program.
SES and Hughes will attempt to establish a hybrid network supported by SES-15 and SES-17 geostationary satellites, SES’s medium-orbit satellite O3b, and SpaceX’s Starlink low-orbit satellite.
Mobile network testing in this demonstration includes ground and air platforms.
Multiple experiments funded by DEUCSI
This experiment is one of several initiatives underway under the DEUCSI program. The Air Force Research Laboratory launched the project in 2017 to explore the possibility of using commercial satellite internet constellations to provide connectivity to military platforms.
Hughes’ experimental network management software is based on technology developed under the Air Force’s Enterprise Management and Control (EM&C) program. The military plans to use EM&C software to allow users to switch networks if their systems are disrupted by electronic jamming or cyberattacks.
Hughes modem and network orchestration software enables resilient broadband connectivity using both Ku-band and Ka-band GEO, MEO, and LEO satellite constellations for a variety of on-the-go communications test scenarios. ,” said Rick Lorber, Hughes vice president and general manager. Hughes Defense and Government Systems Division.
“Resilient communications must be available, using the most effective frequency bands and satellite systems for the application and location, regardless of whether users require connectivity on the ground or in the air. ” said Rover.
