Kratos and SES showcase new virtualized SATCOM system for US Army

Kratos and SES showcase new virtualized SATCOM system for US Army
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Apr 22, 2024

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS) and SES have successfully conducted a demonstration of a fully virtualized satellite communications (SATCOM) ground system for the U.S. Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command. The demonstration illustrated a flexible network architecture that allows for multiple simultaneous communication pathways, enhancing the resilience of SATCOM operations.

The virtualized and containerized architecture showcased during the demonstration enables the deployment of radio frequency (RF) hardware and software-defined hubs at any global location. Notably, the system supported seamless operations with satellites in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) using a "make-before-break" mode, a critical feature for maintaining uninterrupted communications across different satellite coverage areas.

The test involved a remote terminal in Port St. Lucie, U.S., and a gateway in Lima, Peru, both connected through a software-defined Kratos OpenSpace vStar hub system located over 3,000 miles away in Virginia, U.S., all managed via SES's O3b satellite network.

The Kratos OpenSpace Platform, a commercially available, fully software-defined satellite ground system, played a pivotal role in this demonstration. It supports the agility and reliability required for modern military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) networks, which need to handle multiple missions and react much faster than traditional hardware-based systems. The efficiency of this system is enhanced by its integration with public cloud resources provided by SES.

Chris Badgett, Vice President of Technology for Kratos Space, highlighted the innovative use of containerized architectures in the demonstration, stating, "OpenSpace is the first to use containers to manage the transfer of communication sessions in a standards-based, open, COTS platform environment. This significant advancement demonstrates Kratos's leadership in modernizing SATCOM ground operations through the use of commercial software and generic x86 servers."

Saba Wehbe, Senior Vice President, Service Engineering and Delivery at SES, emphasized the benefits of the software reconfigurable approach for future-proofing ground systems and enhancing interoperability across various satellite services and networks. "This demonstration of a resilient software-defined network underscores its critical importance to the U.S. Department of Defense's SATCOM modernization efforts," Wehbe noted.

The project received funding from the Network Cross-Functional Team (N-CFT) of the Army Futures Command.