DARPA Awards Novel Satellite Communications Contract To BAE Systems.

NASHUA, N.H. -- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected BAE Systems to lead a team of 10 companies in the next development phases of the Novel Satellite Communications (NSC) program.

The Phase 3 contract is valued at $10.3 million, with options for an additional $4.3 million.

"The Novel Satellite Communications program is exploiting new phenomenology to defend satellite communications links against electronic attack," said Dr. Michael Zatman, the DARPA program manager for NSC. "The protection that the NSC technologies afford our communications satellites will ensure that our war fighters have the situational awareness they need."

NSC will protect uplink signals to satellites against hostile jamming using advanced signal processing techniques to enable uninterrupted communications.

Work will be performed in Nashua and Merrimack, New Hampshire; Wayne, New Jersey; Arlington and Fairfax, Virginia; Germantown, Maryland; San Diego, Los Angeles, and Redondo Beach, California; Lexington, Massachusetts; and West Lafayette, Indiana. The effort is expected to be completed in early 2008.

"Our NSC approach integrates innovative techniques from leading defense industry contributors to provide unprecedented satellite communications robustness," said Aaron Penkacik, vice president for Advanced Systems & Technology at BAE Systems in Nashua. "The technology demonstration will lead the way to increase the nation's capability to provide assured communications for the war fighter."

BAE Systems led the initial effort, sponsored by DARPA, to provide testing and proof of concept of new NSC algorithms and communication techniques. The company also was one of three contractor teams leading the recently completed Phase 2 efforts to progress toward increasingly realistic satellite scenarios and future field demonstrations.

Phase 3 will mature the NSC algorithm suite, design a real-time demonstration system, and develop initial technology transition plans. The full system demonstration with existing satellites will be conducted during Phase 4.

About BAE Systems

BAE Systems is the premier trans-Atlantic defense and aerospace company, delivering a full range of products and services for air, land, and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions, and customer support services. BAE Systems, with 88,000 employees worldwide, had 2005 sales that exceeded $22 billion, excluding the group's former interest in Airbus.