General Dynamics Awarded $24 Million Army Contract for WIN-T Satellite Communications Terminals

NEWTON, N.C. — General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies has been awarded a $24 million contract from the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command in Fort Monmouth, N.J., to provide specialized satellite communications earth terminals and support services for the Joint Network Node-Network (JNN-N) program, now known as Increment One of the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T).

Under the contract, General Dynamics will provide 33 Satellite Transportable Terminals (STT) and two Unit Hub SATCOM Trucks (UHST). General Dynamics will also supply Ka-band upgrade kits, training and logistics services. The delivery order is part of a base-plus-four-option-years contract that has a total potential value of $721 million for 1,233 STTs and 44 UHSTs if all options are exercised.

WIN-T Increment One builds on the former JNN-N and will be used by soldiers in the field to securely access communications services using an enhanced Internet Protocol-based satellite communications network for flexible and reliable transmission and reception of high-bandwidth video, voice and data.

“The WIN-T Increment One SATCOM terminals will provide deployed warfighters with robust, beyond-line-of-sight communications for a broad spectrum of information services,” said Gary Kanipe, vice president and general manager for General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies. “Our new designs will allow U.S. warfighters to easily deploy and use these terminals in hazardous and extreme conditions. SATCOM terminals will also be available for NATO and other U.S.-allied forces as an economical solution to meet mobile tactical SATCOM requirements.”

The next-generation STT terminal can be configured to operate over Ku- or Ka-band satellite frequencies. The lighter weight design allows for additional enhancements over previously fielded units. The new UHST provides Ku- or Ka-band operation and increased modem capacity. The new STTs and UHSTs are interoperable with previously fielded JNN-N Lots 1-9 baseband STT and UHST units.

In June, the Army announced that it would restructure and accelerate the WIN-T program to have a single program for all Army battlefield networks.

This award was made through the U.S. Army’s World-Wide Satellite Systems (WWSS) contract vehicle managed by the Commercial Satellite Terminal Program (CSTP). WWSS, awarded in Oct. 2006, is available to support all federal communications missions and is intended to provide communications systems that are capable of overcoming existing and projected bandwidth constraints for Department of Defense transformation programs worldwide.