L3Harris Technologies Successfully Integrates Hybrid Satellite Communication for the US Air Force's Global Lightning Program.

On September 10, 2024, L3Harris Technologies announced the successful completion of the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the US Air Force's Global Lightning program, an initiative aimed at integrating hybrid satellite communication capabilities across multiple platforms. This achievement marks a significant step toward modernizing communications for American military operations.

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L3Harris Technologies's Hybrid Satellite Communication for US Air Force's Global Lightning Program
 (Picture source: L3Harris Technologies )

The program, named "Defense Experiment Using Commercial Space Internet" (DEUCSI), was launched by the Integrated Capabilities Directorate of the US Air Force Research Laboratory to strengthen the concept of Hybrid Satellite Communications (SATCOM). L3Harris has been involved in the DEUCSI project since its inception in 2021, and the US Air Force awarded the company an initial $81 million contract last year for the current phase of the project, known as "Call 3."

"Call 3" focuses on the development of terrestrial systems, both fixed and mobile, as well as airborne terminals. These systems are designed to connect traditional military and commercial waveforms to various SATCOM constellations positioned in Earth orbit. "Following this successful CDR, we plan to conduct integrated hardware tests within the coming year to prepare for Air Force flight tests scheduled for late 2025," said Adam Milner, Senior Manager of Space Networks at L3Harris.

The CDR was also followed by an Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) valued at $90 million, aimed at expanding the scope of the program to include additional resilient military communication waveforms and Commercial Satellite Internet (CSI). "The ECP has allowed us to double the diversity of content and connectivity we offer for this initiative, creating multiple hybrid satcom systems to meet the higher requirements of Hybrid SATCOM," added Milner.

As part of the initiative, L3Harris assembles radio modules from carrier boards provided by CSI vendors, which are then integrated into RASOR chassis, designed to vary from three to twelve slots. These modules enable a wide range of cross-domain capabilities, including resilient line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight communications, surveillance, command and control, and electronic warfare.

This technological advancement is part of a long tradition at L3Harris, which brings over 20 years of experience in delivering modular and software-defined radios to military customers, enhanced by more than fifty years of support and innovation in tactical and strategic communications. "Open architectures provide the flexibility necessary for the Air Force to plan and coordinate the proactive insertion of emerging technologies, thus facilitating the rapid integration of new SATCOM constellations as they are launched into orbit," concluded Milner.