Long game puts Hughes in contention for US Army SATCOM spoils
Advances in military communications are expected to be on show during a forthcoming US Army-funded SATCOM pilot. (Photo: Hughes Defense)
A newly funded pilot project could dramatically reshape how the US Army procures SATCOM connectivity, with Hughes Defense actively promoting a managed services-based approach.
As the US Army assesses how best to acquire new SATCOM services, a forthcoming funded pilot is expected to have a significant influence on decision-making before a competition phase potentially begins in 2023 or 2024.
Under the re-competed Combat Service Support Very Small Aperture Terminal (CSS VSAT) effort, providers offering SATCOM managed services, including Hughes Defense, demonstrated their respective capabilities at the US Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, in 2021.
Those experiments and a number of RFIs published since have been decisive in allowing the US Army to move toward the funded pilot phase, which is due to start
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