ViaSat has been selected as the supplier of the Small Tactical Terminal (STT) KOR-24A to upgrade battlefield communications capabilities for the U.S. Army fleet of AH-64E Apache helicopters.
The Army is pursuing a "sole source solicitation" of ViaSat, the company said Wednesday. The STT is the latest generation two-channel Link 16 and VHF/UHF terminals with the capability of providing Link 16 and Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) in-flight simultaneous voice and data communications.
"The STT satisfies the latest requirements for Apache helicopters, providing a significant advance in battlefield communications as Link 16 and SRW become essential capabilities in the future of Army aviation," said Jay Kaufman, general manager of tactical data links at ViaSat.
According to ViaSat, the company is finding interest from military customers in developing software-defined Link 16 functions for helicopter, ground vehicle, light aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).