Next Gen SATCOM upgrades under major program of record will expand operational flexibility and resiliency
Hughes announced it has been awarded a Data Link Modernization (DLM) contract by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to provide advanced satellite communications (SATCOM) systems for the U.S. Army’s MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). Under the contract, Hughes will provide both air and ground modems for the U.S. Army Gray Eagle Extended Range UAS platform with ongoing software upgrades to maintain continuous operational
resiliency.
“We are very excited to support GA-ASI with a modern, cost-effective and open systems architecture with the speed, flexibility and resiliency necessary to meet the next generation of mission requirements for the Army and other DoD users,” said Rick Lober, vice president and general manager of the Defense Division at Hughes. “This contract reinforces the commitment of both General Atomics and Hughes to serving the U.S. Army with enhanced communications capabilities for mission-critical unmanned platforms.”
This contract follows a previous contract to upgrade communications on the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, a typecertifiable variant of GA-ASI’s Predator® B Remotely Piloted Aircraft.