Hughes Network Systems, LLC and Airbus signed an agreement to expand their partnership to include growing international tactical military communications requirements, the companies said Tuesday.
Under the new agreement Airbus will distribute all models of the Hughes HM System, a satellite networking technology engineered around a software-definable modem (SDM) and scrambled code multiple access (SCMA) waveform. The HM System terminals are set to operate over Airbus’ Skynet X-band military communications satellite.
Hughes, headquartered near Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Md., provides satellite broadband services to homes and offices.
Hughes will also provide hardware, technology, and engineering support related to use of the HM system under the terms of the deal, the company said.
The company highlighted it will also offer Skynet services to U.S. government users who require deployable and resilient satellite communications for tactical missions. This is meant to not only offer the product to international customers but additional U.S. users.
“The continued strategic relationship with Airbus Defence and Space along with Tampa Microwave’s ruggedized packaging of innovative Hughes technology will open new opportunities in the growing tactical defense market,” Rick Lober, vice president and general manager of Hughes Defense and Intelligence Systems, said in a statement.
“It builds on the early success of our joint delivery of combined HM System and XEBRA services, exemplifying the critical role that satellite providers play in supporting the rapidly changing, national security landscape around the world,” he added.