BAE Systems has been awarded a $55 million contract from TRW to develop and build radiation-hardened electronics for the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications satellite system.
Information & Electronic Warfare Systems’ (IEWS) Space Systems and Electronics business area will provide its RAD750 single-board computers for the AEHF system’s digital payload as well as a variety of radiation-hardened custom logic and memory components built at IEWS’ Manassas, Virginia, facility.
“BAE Systems Space Electronics will play a key role on the AEHF system — providing a wide variety of radiation-hardened products to ensure the success of this important defense communications project,” said Don Taylor, manager of BAE Systems’ VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) Products business line.
The AEHF System is designed to be a four-satellite, cross-linked constellation in geosynchronous orbit that will provide secure, survivable, and protected communications systems for the U.S. military. The AEHF system will replace the current MILSTAR-II communications system.
The BAE Systems contract with TRW’s Space & Electronics group will run through 2004. It includes development and production of assets for engineering models and two flight models.
The AEHF Program is managed by the U.S. Space Command’s MILSATCOM Joint Program Office (MJPO) within the Space and Missile Center. Lockheed Martin is the AEHF System prime contractor and will be providing the spacecraft bus and Mission Control Segment. TRW will be the payload integrator.
