Protected Tactical SATCOM
Abstract
In FY 2021, PE 1206761F, Protected Tactical Service (PTS) efforts were transferred to Appropriation 3620, Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Space Force, PE 1206761SF, Protected Tactical Service (PTS) from Appropriation 3600, Budget Activity 04 due to the creation of a new Appropriation for Space Force. The global threat of electronic warfare attacks against space system 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. To address this critical need, the Air Force is developing the Protected Anti-jam Tactical Satellite Communications (PATS) family-of-systems, of which the Protected Tactical Satellite Communications (PTS) program was a New Start in FY 2018 to fulfill the highest level of anti-jam capabilities to mitigate adversarial jamming effects. PTS provides worldwide and polar, beyond-line-of-sight, Anti-Jam (AJ), low-probability-of intercept communications in benign and highly-contested environments utilizing the Protected Tactical Waveform (PTW). PTS, with its on-board payload processing and antenna design, enables reliable tactical satellite communications within close proximities to adversarial jammers. The system also employs interfaces consistent with Air Force Space Command's on-going resilience initiatives and Enterprise Ground Services (EGS); thereby enhancing mission assurance, resiliency, and interoperability. The Air Force is utilizing FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, Section 804, Middle Tier of Acquisition for Rapid Prototyping authority and Section 815, Other Transaction Authority (OTA), to achieve an affordable, rapid, operational capability for the tactical warfighter. This strategy employs spiral payload development to progressively and incrementally deploy prototypes with residual capabilities demonstrated in an operational environment. These spiral payload prototypes demonstrate innovative anti-jam technologies with modular and scalable payloads to meet validated military needs for protected tactical communications. This includes technical baseline development, systems engineering trade analyses, internal/external system integration and development, candidate system architecture evaluations, risk reduction demonstrations, prototyping concepts development, system testing, and enabling technologies maturation. PTS includes a space segment, ground segment and gateway segment. For the space segment, the Air Force strategy utilizes a payload-centric focus to enable an affordable, resilient space architecture. This enables hosting and rideshare opportunities with other US government, commercial, International Partner satellites or integration onto a commodity satellite bus. For the ground segment, PTS leverages the EGS for satellite command and control, and the Protected Tactical Enterprise Service (PTES) rapid prototyping activity for mission and key management planning. The PTS gateway segment enables tactical warfighters reach back to global DoD Information Network. The PTS user terminal segment, not included in this PTS acquisition, will be procured by the military Services utilizing low-cost PTW modem upgrades enabled by the Protected Tactical Service Field Demonstration technology demonstration program. Space acquisition must respond with speed and agility to emerging adversary threats. Space & Missile Systems Center (SMC) is transforming the organization and implementation of space acquisition to an enterprise approach, maximizing innovation and resiliency, leveraging international, commercial, and mission partnerships, and managing program/project priorities according to an integrated unclassified/classified enterprise space architecture. Expanding the appropriate acquisition authorities and contract mechanisms to deliver capability sooner, SMC will strategically execute experimentation, prototyping, risk reduction, and other efforts to develop new or repurpose capabilities. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver PTS weapon system capability. The use of such program funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program elements 1206392F and 1206398F. 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
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2021
- Source ID
- 643728_1206761F_4_3600_PB_2021
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- Root: Protected Tactical Service (PTS)
- Child Accomplishment: Acquisition Strategy Development & Source Selection
- Child Accomplishment: Technical Baseline Management and System Integration
- Child Accomplishment: PTS Rapid Prototype Design and Development
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