FAT Increment 3 Test Verifies Capabilities for WGS Mitigation and Anti-Jam Enhancements

The United States Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center completed the First Article Test (FAT) Increment 3 of the Mitigation and Anti-Jam Enhancement (MAJE) capability for the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) program, June 18. Adaptive Nulling and Detection capabilities were successfully tested during the FAT with the test resulting in passing 165 requirements. The adaptive nulling test demonstrated MAJE’s ability to suppress interference to optimize performance when contested. Detection testing measured MAJE’s ability to detect simulated interferers based on power level and frequency.

This significant achievement marks the first increment of FAT testing performed for the WGS program under Space Force.  These capabilities will further the mission to bring full-time operations dedicated to defending our vital national interests in space.

MAJE consists of software and hardware upgrades for the Army-operated Global SATCOM Configuration Control Element (GSCCE) ground system that performs detection, identification, geolocation and mitigation of unwanted Radio Frequency energy on the WGS 1-10 satellites.

Due to limitations posed by the COVID-19 global pandemic, 10 days of testing were completed virtually with operators and witnesses teleworking. Army and USSF personnel witnessed test procedure execution while the equipment under test was physically located at Boeing’s Mission Operations Support Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Capt. Connor Macmillan, WGS Test & Integration lead from SMC’s Geosynchronous/Polar Orbit Division; and Nasir Muhammad, MAJE Lead from the Aerospace Corporation oversaw the test’s execution. 

Upon MAJE fielding to warfighter operations, WGS 1-10 will have an inherent geolocation and interference mitigation capability allowing for quick isolation of unwanted signals and faster restoral times of affected authorized user communications. FAT-4, scheduled for this fall, will test the MAJE system’s Geolocation ability. FAT-5, the final increment of FAT testing, will complete Multi-capability and end to end testing. Successful completion of all FAT increments will establish that the GSCCE-MAJE system is ready to move forward into the interface verification with the Army’s subsystems.

“MAJE will double the anti-jam SATCOM capabilities for six Geographic Combatant Commands,” said Col. John Dukes, SMC’s Geosynchronous Polar Orbit Division senior materiel leader.

WGS satellites are the backbone of the U.S. military’s global satellite communications. WGS provides flexible, high-capacity communications for the Nation’s warfighters by providing worldwide, high data rate and long-haul communication for marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen, the White House Communication Agency, the US State Department, international partners and other special users.