Hughes to prototype FMI for US DoD
Hughes Network Systems has received a follow-on contract to continue the second phase of a pilot study programme to assess the feasibility of interoperability across multiple satellite communication (SATCOM) systems for the US Department of Defense (DoD).
Under the contract, Hughes will be responsible for prototyping a flexible modem interface (FMI) for military terminals that will allow several military and commercial systems and services - including over high-throughput (HTS) satellites - to interoperate in the field.
The study will help the DoD to assess what the ideal military SATCOM architecture looks like and how diverse systems could work together.
Hughes will also explore how an interoperable system solution could be effectively implemented by developing and producing the FMI prototype. The prototype will be demonstrated within the context of a mission management architecture that supports wide-beam, spot-beam and on-board processing satellites, including new Geosynchronous Earth Orbit HTS and low earth orbit satellite constellations.
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