Raytheon awarded $35.9 million

Raytheon has been awarded a $35.9 million US Navy contract to deliver 15 Submarine High Data Rate (Sub HDR) multi-band satellite communication systems (SATCOM).

According to a statement, Sub HDR gives submarines high data rate, multi-band SATCOM capability. Raytheon has delivered more than 71 Sub HDR systems to the Navy during the last six years under previous contracts worth more than $160 million.

"This solution provides high bandwidth communications for submarines at periscope depth," said Jerry Powlen, vice president, Integrated Communications Systems. "Sub HDR fills an essential capability gap by enabling underwater forces to be full FORCEnet participants in coordinated fleet battle group and joint task force network centric operations."

Sub HDR technology, which was developed by Raytheon in the 1990s, links submarines to the Global Broadcast service, the Milstar satellite constellation and the Defense Satellite Communication System.

The Sub HDR solution enables sailors to transmit and receive information by raising a mast just above the sea's surface while the ship is submerged at periscope depth. The system transmits secure wideband multi-media, secure and non-secure Internet access, voice and data traffic, imagery and video teleconferencing.