XTAR, Satcom Partner To Provide SATCOM Services For Military Users

XTAR, LLC, a US-based X-band satellite operator, and Satcom Direct Communications (SDC) have announced their partnership to offer a new, on-demand and minutes-based SATCOM service for military and government end users.

This non-pre-emptible and highly flexible service will be available as a stand-alone service or as a roaming service to augment the Government’s WGS X-Band constellation. The service will provide throughput rates from the aircraft up to 12 Mbps under a pay-per-use price structure, a first of its kind offering unavailable elsewhere in the marketplace.

The X-band service will address the growing requirements for airborne beyond-line-of-sight bandwidth for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, VIP transport, as well as testing and training of new terminals and aircraft. The service will leverage the unique capabilities of the X-band frequency range – the ideal environment for ultra-small satellite terminals operating in symmetric and asymmetric mode. Airborne satellite terminals approved for use on the XTAR constellation will be based on iDirect’s eVolution and Velocity modem technology. With XTAR providing the space segment, SDC’s first X-band end-to-end high throughput teleport/hub has been brought online via teleport service from a North American location alleviating the burden for the aircraft end user to provide their own (and often expensive) ground infrastructure.

“Demands for new airborne resources are growing exponentially in the aeronautical sector,” said David Greenhill, President of Satcom Direct Communications. “Delivering flexible solutions which directly support coalition military and government requirements for mission specific inter-connectivity at very high data rates is an important part of our commitment to meeting the changing needs of our end users.”

“Many government users require tremendous throughput potential, at exactly the right time and without interruption, yet must achieve their mission in a cost-effective manner. This partnership makes X-band accessible to a new class of user, including those operating small airframes,” said Philip Harlow, President and Chief Operating Officer of XTAR.