Viasat awarded US Air Force IDIQ contract

22nd January 2020 - 13:30 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

RSS

Viasat has received an IDIQ contract worth up to $90 million from the US Air Force (USAF) for Battlefield Awareness Targeting System—Dismounted (BATS-D) handheld Link 16 radios, the company announced on 21 January.

The radio, known in US service as the AN/PRC-161 radio, will equip USAF special warfare operators.

The award also covers associated operator training and maintenance.

BATS-D is a handheld Link 16 radio that bridges the gap between air and ground forces by providing soldiers at the tactical edge with real-time, secure, reliable access to integrated air and ground information for improved situational awareness and enhanced close air support communications.

Ken Peterman, president, government systems, Viasat, said: ‘This IDIQ award demonstrates the value of the AN/PRC-161 handheld Link 16 radio for the unique mission requirements of today’s USAF operators.

‘Today, nearly 2,500 AN/PRC-161 BATS-D radios have been shipped to US warfighters worldwide, and we continue to see strong demand for its use across multiple military branches, and among coalition partners as it has the proven ability to significantly enhance situational awareness, improve mission coordination and accelerate decision timelines in a multi-domain battlespace.’

As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.

Author

The Shephard News Team

As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to Premium News and Defence Insight …

Read full bio

More from Modernised Situational Awareness Special Report

What is MOJO? (sponsored video)

Viasat’s Move Out/Jump Off terminal allows operational commanders at the tactical edge to receive the best possible levels of situational awareness required to do their job.
What is an STT? Small Tactical Terminal (sponsored video)

The KOR-24A STT extends the ability of warfighters to conduct real-time communications and increase interoperability in austere environments.
What is BATS-D? (sponsored video)

BATS-D provides dismounted personnel with a ground-to-air capability to shorten the targeting cycles and accuracy of close air support and other fire missions.
What is MIDS? (sponsored video)

Viasat’s Government Systems division provides U.S. and coalition military forces with a range of advanced communications technology. Here’s a quick description of one of them: MIDS
What is Link 16? (sponsored video)

Viasat’s Government Systems division provides U.S. and coalition military forces with a range of advanced communications technology. Here’s a quick description of one of them, Link 16:
US augments EW defence with network modernisation

The US Army is working to modernise its tactical networks to enable expeditionary and mobile operations, and bolster its resilience against near-peer EW and cyber …