AFMC Command News

ESC achieves milestone with final delivery of upgraded SATCOM terminal

  • Published
  • By Patty Welsh
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  A key Electronic Systems Center satellite communications terminal program recently met a significant milestone when the government accepted the final terminal.

"The Ground Multi-band Terminal, or GMT, program was created to replace the shortfalls of existing Ground Mobil Forces SATCOM [satellite communications] terminals," said Michael Griffin, GMT program manager. "The delivery of the final GMT, three months ahead of contractual schedule, brings the program to a successful production conclusion."

GMTs interconnect deployed locations, via satellites, allowing data to be sent back and forth between those locations and also reach-back to higher headquarters and support elements.

"When you see your local TV news truck with the satellite dish on it, basically that is what we're providing for the warfighter," said Griffin. "However, that only transmits information one direction, while GMT both transmits and receives data."

The GMTs can provide for operations ranging from single-spoke, with one transmit and one receive link, to dual-hub, which can provide two transmit and 12 receive links.

The terminals provide an integrated, flexible, lightweight, modular and scalable SATCOM capability, in a transit case configuration, allowing for a smaller size/weight footprint than legacy systems and a reduction in airlift requirements.

"Previously it took 24 aircraft pallets to provide this capability, where now it can be provided on one pallet, allowing this capability to arrive with the warfighters in a deployed location," said Griffin.

In addition, the terminals connect to the new two-way Ka-band frequency offered by Wideband Global SATCOM satellites, while still being able to operate in the C, X, and Ku bands. In addition to the WGS, the GMTs can also connect through the existing Defense Satellite Communications Systems satellites and commercial satellites.

"The GMT provides a major leap forward in capability for the warfighter," said Griffin. "The legacy systems of two GMFs only provided a data rate up to 8 megabits per second, while a dual-hub GMT provides up to 104 Mbps."

Also, acquisition of the GMT-leveraged commercial-off-the-shelf and government-off-the-shelf technology to minimize the need for development of new technology or hardware and to reduce sustainment costs, according to Griffin.

Since their initial fielding in 2007, GMTs have been used extensively for operations and exercises in a variety of deployed locations, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Bulgaria, Korea and South America.

According to Scott Hardiman, Space and Nuclear Networks Division acting chief, the warfighter has been very pleased with the terminal, which has significantly exceeded the user's reliability requirements.

"We've received great feedback from warfighters saying that they rely heavily on the GMT as the backbone of their long-haul communications, it operated flawlessly on the needed bands and also performed well in adverse weather conditions," he said.

In January, ESC's SNND accepted the final, 136th, Ground Multi-band Terminal from L-3 Communications Microwave East, in Hauppauge, N.Y.

"Having the GMTs allows the warfighters to provide extensive communications to all tactical initial bare base setups, thereby making them more efficient and effective," said Griffin.