Delivering Mobile Multiorbit Communications Capabilities

Aaron Brosnan, president of Tampa Microwave, a subsidiary of Thales Defense & Security, sat down with SIGNAL Media's Kimberly Underwood to discuss how his company is addressing the need for resilient, reliable and accessible satellite communications capabilities.

Brosnan explained that the current satellite communications landscape is changing and diversifying quickly. The future architecture, Brosnan said, is a variety of orbits and different bands, so agile and multiorbit capabilities are necessary.

For military communications, Brosnan said non-geosynchronous orbit satellites are critical because they are low latency, run more complex waveforms and can connect to multiple satellites in different orbits.

Additionally, multiorbit, or more specifically, multinetwork, capabilities allow soldiers to maintain connectivity and avoid jams, whether caused by an adversary or spectrum congestion, by allowing the soldier to move quickly between different satellites.

Brosnan also pointed out that with different constellations operating at different bands and frequencies, there’s a need for terminals that can maneuver across orbits and bands.

“The new peer threat is demanding a much more agile fighting force,” Brosnan said.

On top of the need for multiorbit solutions, Tampa Microwave also recognizes the importance of delivering portable devices to the warfighter, Brosnan said.

Tampa Microwave’s products and solutions have always been geared toward military use, so the company prioritizes small and lightweight package solutions with high throughput. Brosnan said to ensure high performance in a small package, Tampa Microwave has designed a robust cooling technology to make sure the products don’t overheat.

Modularity is also important to Tampa Microwave, Brosnan explained. The company’s medium-Earth orbit (MEO) upgrade kit allows customers to convert their geostationary Earth orbit (GEO)-only terminals into multiorbit terminals with the addition of a tracking positioner, so the terminal can track a moving satellite.

“Our whole goal is to make sure that we can deliver the warfighter terminals that can leverage all those networks,” Brosnan said, referring to other terminal providers and satellite communications companies. “And so, it's all about working with some of those network partners to make sure that we can support their waveforms, we can get on their constellations, we can go through their certification process to make sure that we qualify to get on their networks.”

To deliver resilient, mobile and multiorbit communications solutions, Tampa Microwave has made strategic acquisitions and is currently developing a new satellite communications product called Raider Terra.

According to Brosnan, Raider Terra is a lightweight battery-operated terminal that soldiers can easily carry in their backpacks and assemble on the move. Raider Terra will be one of the first terminals on the market that can cover multiple bands, both Ku and Ka band.

“At the end of the day, it's all about supporting the warfighter,” Brosnan said. “Clearly, the new constellations, the new services that they provide, the networks they provide are going to dramatically improve the warfighters’ ability to conduct their missions, and we love to be part of that.”