Northrop Grumman has successfully demonstrated a new protected tactical waveform (PTW) processor for military communications satellites.
The processor "enhances user data rates up to a factor of 20, improves spectral efficiency up to a factor of 4 and provides bandwidth-on-demand to significantly improve warfighter communications in contested tactical environments," said a Northrop Grumman announcement.
The processor communicated via an Air Force-developed PTW. The demonstration was part of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center's MILSATCOM Design for Affordability Risk Reduction program.
"While PTW provides substantial new capabilities for the warfighter, a waveform alone does not provide protection," said Tim Frei, vice president of communication systems for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. "The real value of PTW is when it is integrated into an architecture with comprehensive protection including space-based processing, non-commercial frequency bands, crosslinks and other key protection features in the antenna and radio frequency processing chains."
Michael Peck is a correspondent for Defense News and a columnist for the Center for European Policy Analysis. He holds an M.A. in political science from Rutgers University. Find him on X at @Mipeck1. His email is mikedefense1@gmail.com.
