Hughes Completes Operational Demonstrations of Military Portable Terminal

July 12, 2016

Hughes Network Systems, LLC announced that its Defense and Intelligence Systems Division (DISD) has completed successful operational demonstrations of its HM300 portable terminal. Designed for military applications, the HM300 provides portable X-Band communications and was developed in conjunction with Hughes team partners Airbus Defence and Space of United Kingdom (UK) and Tampa Microwave.

The HM300 was developed specifically to meet the call to action voiced by the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) G6 at the C4I Conference in 2015 for "a new capability" that would significantly improve Satellite Communications. The HM300 delivers a new world of portable satellite communications capability for early entry units, forward deployed teams, long range scout teams and executive communications with the following essential attributes: Cost-effective; assured bandwidth on demand; supporting airborne operations; and with reduced size, weight and power (SWaP) for Special Operations Forces (SOF) missions.

"These tests successfully demonstrate the numerous scenarios of the HM300 terminal's operational flexibility with the XEBRA Service as a reliable, durable and cost-effective communications solution," said Dan Losada, senior director of DoD programs at Hughes DISD.  "Its rapid deployment capability, with only minimal training requirements and avoidance of high service cost, makes it an ideal fit for the evolving needs of the military."

During tests in December between a satellite Earth station located in the UK and Fort Bragg, N.C. operating over Airbus' XEBRA service, the HM300 demonstrated beyond-line-of-sight (BLoS) capabilities with data rates up to 512kbps symmetrically, transmitting video, voice and data. A second mission scenario demonstrated autonomous operation transmitting to and from a 4.0M GATR Antenna located at Fort Bragg, providing VoIP and live video using an encoder. In January, the HM300 terminal was deployed during a Combat Airborne Training Operation, when a paratrooper jumped the HM300 terminal while another jumped baseband equipment, demonstrating the terminal's SWaP benefits and earning it a "jumpable" designation.