Hughes Supports Australian Defence Force Satellite Program

April 18, 2012

Hughes Network Systems, LLC has been successfully supporting the Australian Defence Force (ADF) over the past 18 months through a series of technology trials analyzing the effects of transitioning from legacy Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems to an Internet Protocol (IP) Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) architecture.

The trials were conducted across ADF satellite payloads in X- and Ku-band utilizing the Hughes HX System of fixed and transportable gateways, the HX280 satellite broadband router, and advanced network management system, HX ExpertNMS™. Supporting the rigorous requirements and deployment needs of the ADF, the HX280 is capable of star and mesh operation, mobility, and is certified to Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 Level 2 for physical and Transmission Security (TRANSEC); it is currently finalizing WGS certification in the U.S. The trials successfully integrated and deployed star and mesh networks, demonstrating enhanced security and encryption, dynamic routing, traffic prioritization, and varying quality of service levels as part of the TDMA technology evaluation.

"We are proud to have supported the ADF through these important, discrete technology trials and are extremely pleased with the results," said Rick Lober, vice president and general manager of Hughes Defense and Intelligence Systems Division. "Utilizing our HX System allowed us to integrate Force elements with a single SATCOM technology—providing a true joint operational capability—and demonstrated the increased communication capabilities and bandwidth efficiencies possible by employing an advanced TDMA waveform."

Under the scope of the contract, Hughes also provided a series of training sessions tailored for the ADF that included simulated mission scenarios and operational environments to test both trainees and the capabilities of the HX System. The trials made use of Hughes-integrated tactical VSAT systems from a variety of industry leaders including L-3 Communications, GigaSat, Globecomm, Cobham TracStar, Rockwell Collins, and Norsat International Inc.