Once fielded, NMT will serve as the common element of naval information networks, providing interconnection of individual naval assets with other services and, eventually, with the global information grid.

Acquisition and tracking of the Milstar 6 satellite was performed at the Harris Naval SATCOM Integration and Test Facility in Palm Bay, Florida, utilizing a KGV-136 -- the newest generation cryptographic unit. The successful demonstration was the culmination of two years of Harris-sponsored waveform design and hardware and software development as part of the NMT prototype competition sponsored by the Navy Program Executive Office for C4I and Space.

"The ahead-of-schedule completion of this capability demonstration reinforces our position as a proven, reliable supplier of Navy communications systems in the new millennium," said Dan Pearson, group president of Defense Communications, Harris Government Communications Systems Division.

"This achievement is a major advancement in the development of modern, next-generation Navy SATCOM terminals that provide multiband communication capabilities in a single terminal. It reflects the efforts of Harris, its supporting teammates and suppliers, as well as the expertise of the Navy technical team and the National Security Agency."

Coupled with an earlier demonstration of the new, extended data rate (XDR) waveforms, this latest success confirms that Harris is on plan to provide U.S. Navy ship, submarine and shore installations with access to the full communications capacity provided by the AEHF satellite constellation. This approach offers the Navy better access to SATCOM assets and increased bandwidth, as well as protection from jamming and interception of transmissions.

The AEHF NMT Phase 1 Program is a 43-month effort to design and develop prototype Q-band SATCOM submarine and shipboard terminals in support of the U.S. Navy's FORCEnet concept. Additional phases add high-performance Ka- and X-band capabilities to the common NMT terminal. The resulting NMT terminal will replace current single- and dual-band terminals, yielding significant life-cycle cost reductions and improved reliability.

The Navy's investment in a multicontractor development and planned down-select procurement of the remaining elements for the AEHF NMT program fosters industry competition and expands the qualified vendor base for protected SATCOM. Success in the Q-band prototype phase, coupled with Harris' legacy as the provider of the Navy's current generation of multiband, super high frequency (SHF)-wideband terminals, uniquely qualifies Harris as a leading NMT supplier.

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