The Advanced Extremely
High Frequency (AEHF) team of Lockheed Martin Space & Strategic Missiles,
Sunnyvale, Calif. and Northrop Grumman Space Technology, Redondo Beach, Calif.
has successfully completed all 49 Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR).
Conclusion of the PDR phase represents a major program milestone demonstrating
that the next-generation satellite system meets all technical performance
requirements for their customer, the MILSATCOM Joint Program Office, U.S. Air
Force Space and Missile Systems Center.
“The entire team deserves kudos for executing a highly efficient and
successful PDR phase,” said Julie Sattler, AEHF program director for Lockheed
Martin Space & Strategic Missiles. “Working as integrated product teams, we
have achieved a major milestone in this critical national program, which will
be the most complex, sophisticated military communications satellite system
ever produced. We are now into the critical design review stage where we
validate our detailed design in preparation for the production phase.”
The AEHF program will provide the next generation of global, highly
secure, survivable communications for warfighters in all services of the
Department of Defense. Lockheed Martin Space & Strategic Missiles is
currently under contract to provide the first two AEHF satellites and command
and control system. Northrop Grumman Space Technology is the payload
provider.
“We have made excellent progress on the payload over the last 18 months
and are on track to complete all engineering model hardware by the end of this
year. This will give us high confidence that our flight hardware will meet
all performance requirements,” said Clayton Kau, Northrop Grumman’s vice
president & program manager for the AEHF Payload.
AEHF satellites will provide improved secure data throughput capability
and increased coverage flexibility to regional and global military operations
and will be backward compatible with the Milstar I and II system. The Mission
Control Segment (ground system hardware and software development and
deployment) is being led by Lockheed Martin Management & Data Systems of
Valley Forge, Pa. The Mission Control Segment will consolidate Milstar and
Advanced EHF satellite control and communication resource planning into a
single, modernized Mission Control System.
Space & Strategic Missiles is part of Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Company, headquartered in Denver, Colo., one of the major operating units of
Lockheed Martin Corporation. Space Systems designs, develops, tests,
manufactures and operates a variety of advanced technology systems for
military, civil and commercial customers. Chief products include space launch
and ground systems, remote sensing and communications satellites for
commercial and government customers, advanced space observatories and
interplanetary spacecraft, fleet ballistic missiles and missile defense
systems.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin employs about 125,000
people worldwide and is a global enterprise principally engaged in the
research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced
technology systems, products, and services. The Corporation reported 2002
sales of $26.6 billion.
CONTACT: Steve Tatum of Lockheed Martin Space & Strategic Missiles,
+1-408-742-7531, or pager, 888-926-2912, or stephen.o.tatum@lmco.com.
