Protected Tactical Enterprise Service (PTES)
Abstract
Project 643726, Protected Tactical Enterprise Service (PTES) enables multi-domain operations for tactical warfighters in congested and contested environments using military satellites in various orbits. Project 643733, Protected Tactical Waveform (PTW) Over Commercial, develops an anti-jam (AJ) communications capability using the protected tactical waveform over commercial satellite constellations to support tactical users in joint and allied warfighting operations. The global threat of electronic warfare attacks against space systems will expand in the coming years in both number and types of weapons. Threat development will very likely focus on jamming capabilities against dedicated military satellite communications (MILSATCOM). To address this critical threat, and in pursuit of more precise solutions for disaggregated strategic and tactical SATCOM, U.S Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) and Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) initiated the Protected Anti-jam Tactical SATCOM (PATS) family-of-systems incremental approach, including PTES and Protected Tactical SATCOM (PTS), to mitigate adversarial jamming effects by using the PTW. The United States Space Force (USSF) is developing PTES to establish the foundational ground system that will enable PTW-based protected communications of PATS. PTES is a software intensive program needed to achieve the PATS architecture by developing the critical ground infrastructure to operationalize the PTW via military and commercial satellite systems for tactical users in all Services. As part of the PATS integrated, incremental approach, PTES ground system development will initially enable PTW over the Wideband Global Satellite Communications (WGS) system to provide an operational AJ communications capability. PTES will extend PATS development to provide PTW service using commercial satellites in various orbits and purpose-built PTS system with onboard PTW processing. The ability to securely access both military and commercial capabilities in multiple orbits will provide tactical warfighters alternate protected SATCOM paths for greater network resiliency. The PTES program is developing a Mission Management System (MMS), a Key Management System (KMS), and Joint Hub Variants (JHVs) to enable PTW via transponded WGS satellites, and to commercial SATCOM with JHVs. The systems will be extensible to support commercial and military SATCOM systems in the future. The user equipment will consist of existing wideband terminals with upgraded PTW modems. Production-representative PTW modems for user terminals were developed by the Protected Tactical Service Field Demonstration (PTSFD) and will be separately acquired by each Service and Allied international partner. The Navy Wideband Anti-Jam Modem System (WAMS), the Air Force-Army Anti-Jam Modem (A3M), and other stakeholders rely on PTES to provide PTW ground infrastructure. A3M provides the Air Force and Army with a secure, wideband, AJ SATCOM terminal modem for tactical SATCOM operations. The WAMS modem is the Navy's next generation software-defined wideband modem for both transponded and processed satellite. The user terminal segment, not included in this acquisition, utilizing low-cost PTW modem upgrades enabled by the A3M and WAMS programs are designed to become an integral part of the growing PATS enterprise. The PTES Prototype Development was designated as a Rapid Prototype (RP) in June 2018 from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114-92) under Middle Tier of Acquisitions (MTA) for Rapid Prototyping/Rapid Fielding (Section 804) to operationalize the PTW initially with WGS and has been approved to transition into a Software Acquisition pathway. A new Project, 643733 PTW Over Commercial, was created in this Program Element in FY 2024 to segregate funding allocated to develop the capability to deliver PTW to the warfighter by leveraging commercial communication satellites. This continues efforts begun in FY 2023 under Project 643726, PTES Prototype Development. To meet the warfighter requirements for protected tactical MILSATCOM and the capability gaps identified in these studies, RDT&E funding is required for architectural development, acquisition strategy development, system requirements and system trades analysis, and engineering, manufacturing, developing, testing and evaluating PTES and PATS systems and segments. For the PATS WGS capability, the PTES system addresses an operational need in the Pacific region by achieving Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in FY 2025. IOC provides ground elements for PTW over WGS and consists of PTES JH installations at two WGS DoD SATCOM Teleport sites utilizing one WGS satellite. At Full Operational Capability (FOC) in FY 2026, PTES will provide worldwide PTW operations using up to all WGS satellites. For the PTW Over Commercial, the PTES system will achieve IOC providing resilient commercial capacity and path diversity across ground elements for PTW over commercial architectures in CY 2026. The PTES team will execute additional studies and proof of concept demonstrations to inform commercial requirements and MMS, KMS development. PTES will reach FOC in CY 2026 providing robust PTW operations using commercial satellites in various orbits. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver PTES weapon system capability. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program elements 1206392SF and 1206398SF. This effort is in Budget Activity 4, Advanced Component Development and Prototypes (ACD&P), because efforts are necessary to evaluate integrated technologies, representative modes or prototype systems in a high fidelity and realistic operating environment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- R2 Budgetary Justification
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2025
- Source ID
- 1206760SF_4_3620F_PB_2025
- Change Summary Explanation
- FY 2025: The FY 2025 funding request was reduced by -$9.3 million to account for the availability of prior year execution balances.
- Service Agency Name
- Air Force
Entities
Organizations
- United States Air Force
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