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Redwire Awarded Contract to Manufacture Link-16 Antennas for National Security LEO Constellation

June 07, 2022

Redwire Corporation has been contracted to deliver 42 high gain antennas for an undisclosed national security customer for a low-Earth orbit satellite constellation with significant follow-on potential. Scheduled to be delivered within the next 18 months, the antennas will enable beyond line-of-sight communications for the warfighter using a secured tactical network. Earlier this year, Redwire successfully delivered antennas for the initial phase of this constellation.

This production lot will be manufactured in Redwire’s recently expanded Longmont, Colorado facility, which utilizes modular array work cells that enable a factory capacity well in excess of 120 antennas.

“Redwire is proud to continue to develop critical, enabling antenna technology for our national security customer,” said Dean Bellamy, Redwire’s Executive Vice President of National Security. “This antenna product line encompasses years of research and development of advanced antenna systems alongside industry and military customers. Redwire has already begun investing in the development of future mission critical antenna technologies for future phases of this constellation, as well as other Department of Defense and Intelligence Community missions.”

Redwire’s antenna technology delivers unmatched gain performance over an ultra-wide bandwidth. It interfaces to radios that support wideband frequency-hopping tactical networking. The antenna technology was demonstrated in part under an Air Force Commercialization Readiness Program called AFWERX.

The award builds on years of development of advanced antenna systems for industry and military customers. Redwire’s antenna technology was selected for the original pathfinder mission to demonstrate this waveform from space.