Northrop Grumman Secures $54.7 Million US Air Force Contract for Satellite Communications Antennas

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded Northrop Grumman a $54.7 million contract to develop advanced satellite communications antennas designed for integration on military aircraft; marking another significant step toward enhancing the military’s connectivity through commercial space internet constellations.

The three-year contract is part of the Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) program, a U.S. Department of Defense initiative aimed at building networks that can leverage existing commercial satellite internet services such as Starlink, OneWeb, and SES’s O3b. These constellations are becoming increasingly vital for military operations, offering secure and reliable communications across various theaters of operation.

Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will develop multi-band, high-throughput satellite communications antennas. These antennas are designed to work seamlessly across a range of commercial satellite networks and will be integrated onto different types of military aircraft, enhancing airborne connectivity.

Northrop Grumman is not the only major defense contractor involved in this field. In August 2024, Raytheon Technologies received a similar contract to develop its own version of satellite communications antennas. These contracts are part of a broader push within the DEUCSI program to ensure military forces can access high-speed, secure internet through commercial space platforms.

Enhancing Military Communications Across Domains

The DEUCSI program is a cornerstone in the military’s ongoing efforts to modernize and enhance communication across land, sea, and air forces. With more military operations requiring real-time information sharing, secure and uninterrupted internet access has become a critical enabler for mission success.

By tapping into commercial satellite constellations, the Department of Defense aims to create a flexible, resilient communication network. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink, as well as Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO) systems like SES’s O3b, provide high-speed internet to remote areas, ensuring that military forces can stay connected even in contested environments.

A Collaborative Effort with Leading Defense Contractors

Several major defense contractors, including Northrop Grumman, L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and BAE Systems, are contributing to the development of the antennas and supporting technologies.

The goal is to provide a common set of user terminal hardware that can connect to a variety of satellite constellations, offering military users more flexible and reliable internet access.

This new generation of satellite communications antennas will allow military aircraft to remain connected to high-bandwidth networks regardless of their location, speed, or altitude. The multi-band capability ensures that these antennas can switch between different satellite networks, providing continuous, high-throughput connectivity in a variety of mission scenarios.

A Step Forward in Modern Warfare

As the landscape of modern warfare increasingly depends on the secure transfer of data, contracts like the one awarded to Northrop Grumman are a vital part of ensuring the U.S. military’s technological edge.

These satellite communications antennas will play a crucial role in improving command and control, intelligence gathering, and operational flexibility, empowering military forces with enhanced situational awareness and real-time decision-making capabilities.

Northrop Grumman’s work under this contract is expected to be completed by 2027, by which time the U.S. military could be fully leveraging these advanced satellite communications technologies across its aircraft fleet, significantly enhancing its global communication capabilities.