Harris Corp. has completed the formal testing of its Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) Navy Multiband Terminal prototype system two weeks ahead of schedule.
The company’s completion of the prototype test represents yet another success in a series of milestone achievements for Harris, which is competing for the $1 B plus US Navy communications program.
Conducted at the Harris Navy Integration and Test Facility in Palm Bay, FL, the company’s testing verified that all aspects of the Harris Navy Multiband Terminal (NMT) terminal and interfaces to the government-furnished antennas exhibited exceptional performance across the required breadth of communications.
“Our outstanding prototype test results, combined with our ongoing investments in the follow-on NMT System Development and Demonstration phase, ensures the Navy that Harris offers the lowest-risk NMT solution going forward,” said Sheldon Fox, vice president and general manager of Department of Defense programs, Harris Government Communications Systems Division.
“The Harris NMT approach utilizes proven, readily available technologies that will deliver a highly reliable and technically capable terminal to the warfighter.
The test utilized the common Communications Group and ship Antenna Group terminals developed by Harris, along with US government-furnished antennas for submarine mast, submarine periscope and shore applications. As determined by Harris, it was successful in demonstrating low data rate (LDR) and medium data rate (MDR) communications using an operational MILSTAR satellite.
Extended data rate (XDR) and simultaneous LDR-MDR communications were also demonstrated, operating with MIT-Lincoln Laboratory’s satellite simulator. Harris teammate Azoic Engineering developed the software required to access the MILSTAR and future AEHF satellites—a critical element of the NMT Phase 1A Program.