Intelsat Partners with U.S. Air Force to Integrate Commercial Satellite Internet into Military Aircraft Communications.
MCLEAN, Virginia – Intelsat General Communications has been awarded a $9.1 million contract to develop lightweight broadband aeronautical terminals compatible with commercial satellite internet constellations for military aircraft communications. The contract was issued by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as part of the Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) initiative.
DEUCSI aims to capitalize on the rapid expansion of commercial space internet satellites and integrate this capacity with existing Department of Defense communications infrastructure. By leveraging commercial low earth orbit and geostationary satellite networks, the project seeks to deliver resilient, globally available connectivity for Air Force assets.
Intelsat is leading a team of companies including Raytheon, L3Harris, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Ball Aerospace. Together, they will develop and test small, adaptable satellite terminals and ground station networks to link airborne platforms to commercial broadband satellite fleets.
The commercial partnerships exemplify the military’s strategy to harness innovation in the private sector to complement government-funded capabilities. DEUCSI’s “path-agnostic” architecture will allow users to connect to any location worldwide without needing to specify communication relays.
Officials have outlined a phased approach beginning with demonstrations between Air Force sites, expanding to more assets and users operationally, and finally conducting experiments to handle unique military requirements not met by commercial vendors.
The proliferating space internet landscape is making the vision of ubiquitous, high-throughput connectivity possible across land, sea, and air. DEUCSI represents a shift from traditional military satellite programs with more emphasis on leveraging readily available commercial solutions.
