USSF Protected Wideband Satellite Contract Goes to Boeing
Will be the Twelfth Satellite in the Boeing-Designed WGS Constellation
The U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command has awarded a $439.6 million contract to Boeing to build the 12th Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) communications satellite. The WGS constellation delivers vital high-capacity, secure, and resilient communications capabilities to the U.S. military and its allies.
"Like WGS-11, the 12th WGS satellite will provide critical capabilities to our military with over 1,500 individually steerable, shapeable beams in the Ka band."
Michelle Parker, Boeing
The WGS's responsive, steerable, high-capacity beams provide assured connectivity via the Protected Tactical Enterprise Service (PTES) ground system and enhanced anti-jam communications by combining the U.S. military's jam-resistant Protected Tactical Waveform with antenna nulling in the Ka band. The anti-jam capability of Boeing's new Protected Tactical Satcom Prototype payload will also be integrated on WGS-12, providing a second Protected Wideband Satellite to the U.S. military, and expanding anti-jam tactical communications capacity for U.S. warfighters and allies to operate in multiple contested theaters.
"We are proud to be a mission partner and are ready to continue providing protected tactical communications to the warfighter," said Michelle Parker, vice president of Space Mission Systems. "Like WGS-11, the 12th WGS satellite will provide critical capabilities to our military with over 1,500 individually steerable, shapeable beams in the Ka band, ensuring tactical forces have resilient communications."
Leveraging additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, agile development, and other advanced techniques, Boeing's WGS-12 communications satellite offers significant growth in system performance. Boeing is currently building WGS-11 in El Segundo, CA.