Lockheed Martin (LM), Ball Aerospace and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. were awarded a $7.2 million prototype agreement by the Defense Innovation Unit to develop a new multi-band, multi-mission (MBMM) prototype phased array as part of a broader initiative to modernize the existing Air Force Satellite Control Network and bring new technology faster to warfighters. MBMM enables multiple satellites to simultaneously connect with a single array antenna over multiple frequencies, a significant performance improvement compared to traditional single contact parabolic dishes. The LM team is building prototype transmit and receive electronically steer-able arrays (ESA). Each array uses Ball's advanced phased array technologies and supports L- and S-Band frequencies initially. Signal processing is accomplished with Kratos' digital intermediate frequency (IF) technology and cloud-enabled quant-umRadio.
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