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Agencies Discover Satellite Power
Federal Times – Sometimes forest fires rage inconveniently far from cell towers, leaving responder teams potentially cut off from support. But managers can look to the skies for communications solutions.
Read MoreSatellite Industry Frets About Future Military Business
National Defense – The Pentagon spends about a billion dollars a year on satellite communications services from commercial vendors, which supply about 80 percent of the military’s demand. The industry is worried, however, about the future of its Defense Department business, for several reasons.
Read MoreThe future of satellites: What are the options?
Defense Systems – The Defense Department’s demand for bandwidth is increasing unabated as funding is being trimmed, forcing agencies to cut costs without scaling down communications capabilities. Meanwhile, the price of traditional satellite deployments continues to rise. A Global Positioning System satellite, for example, cost $43 million to build and $55 million to launch in early…
Read MoreSatcom Firms Seek Answers on Bandwidth Agreement
Defense News – One year ago, top Pentagon officials pledged to find a new way to work with the commercial satellite industry. And it was welcome news. Yet despite the backing of Frank Kendall, the Pentagon’s top acquisitions official, nothing has changed. Indeed, a study that Kendall promised industry during last year’s SATELLITE 2013 Conference in…
Read MoreBetter Buying for SATCOM
Military Information Technology – Commercial satellite operators are hailing a recently approved congressional provision that encourages the Department of Defense to investigate using multi-year leases for commercial satellite services and for procuring government-owned payloads on commercial satellites. Signed by President Obama in late 2013, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2014 includes…
Read MorePrivate SATCOM’s Promise
Satellite providers find military demands tough to plan for C4ISR & Networks – At the peak of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the demand for high-definition full motion video was so intense that about 90 percent of the bandwidth used by U.S. Central Command was supplied by commercial satellites, said Robert Tipton Osterthaler, CEO…
Read MoreDemand for X-band to Persist Despite US Military Drawbacks
Via Satellite – Providers of X-band services may find more staying power in military areas of operation. XTAR, an X-band satellite operator, has mentioned that the general downturn in satellite capacity demand has not been as acute as what is seen for other bandwidths. The key reason for this, according to the operator, is the continued…
Read MoreWGS Sales to Allies Undermine U.S. Comsatcom Industry
Space News – January 27, 2014 Op-Ed by Andrew Ruszkowski – The overseas combat operations of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down just as the Department of Defense has begun to focus on making more efficient use of dwindling budgets and scarce resources. Key DoD leaders, including those at the U.S. Air Force’s…
Read MoreXTAR Appoints Andrew Ruszkowski Chief Commercial Officer
XTAR Press Release – Andrew Ruszkowski has been named Chief Commercial Officer at XTAR, LLC, a provider of satellite capacity to U.S. and Allied governments in the X-band frequency. In the newly created position, Ruszkowski will continue to support XTAR’s fleet development to sustain current and anticipated government and military requirements, including working with the…
Read MoreXTAR Awarded $5.6M Manned Airborne ISR Contract Renewal
XTAR Press Release – XTAR has been awarded a $5.6M contract renewal from L-3 Communication Systems-West to provide X-band satellite connectivity to the U.S. Army for manned airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (AISR) mission support. The recent L-3 award caps off another year of significant growth for XTAR in support of airborne applications.
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