ViaSat Inc. has won a delivery order valued at approximately $47 million for Multifunctional Information Distribution System terminals from The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), San Diego. The order includes LVT(1) airborne and LVT(2) ground-based Low Volume Terminals under the Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract awarded in January 2000.
The MIDS LVT provides secure, high capacity, jam resistant, digital data and voice communications capability for US Navy, US Air Force, and US Army platforms. Delivery of the Lot 5 units is expected to begin in June of next year and continue through the first quarter of ViaSat’s fiscal year 2007.
The ViaSat MIDS terminal was recently approved for full-rate production for Navy tactical platforms by Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, Mr. John Young. The MIDS terminal was approved for U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army full-rate production last year.
The Lot 5 award includes LVT(1) terminals and spares for F-18 and F-16 aircraft, the A-10, the MH-60 helicopter, the Air Force JICO Support System, and Taiwan via Foreign Military Sales (FMS).
The award also includes a significant number of LVT(2) terminals and spares for various Army and Air Force systems including the JICO Support System (JSS) and the U.S. Army PM-TRCS (Tactical Radio Communication System), SHORAD (Short Range Air Defense), TFIS (Tactical Data Link Fielding and Integration Support System), TOC/AMDCC (Tactical Operation Center/Air Missile Defense Command and Control), and J-UCAS (Joint – Unmanned Combat Air System), as well as for Taiwan, Japan, and Canada via FMS procurement. ViaSat is currently the only certified producer of the LVT(2).
“We are pleased with this delivery order as it marks our largest individual MIDS award to-date,” said Paul Baca vice president of Tactical Data Links at ViaSat. “In addition, we are very happy with the continued growth of the LVT(2) market for U.S. and coalition tactical systems. The unique features and interfaces in LVT(2) make it ideal for ground-based and other non-fighter installations.”
