Under a contract awarded in January 2018, NATO will upgrade its legacy UHF communications network to Viasat's VISION planning and network management platform, the first commercially-available software package to simultaneously support all 25-kHz legacy Demand-Assigned Multiple-Access (DAMA) and next-generation Integrated Waveform (IW) networks and services.
The Viasat VISION platform provides a single, user-friendly network management interface for legacy DAMA and IW services, inclusive of the ability to locally or remotely manage and control ground station networks, monitor status and system performance, track event/alarm management situations and add/remove services when missions change. By enabling interoperability between DAMA and IW platforms, NATO can double its channel efficiency without additional investment in the UHF space segment. This optimization doubles the number of users, giving more warfighters access to reliable, high-quality, resilient voice and data communications.
Executive Comments
The Network Services and IT Infrastructure — SATCOM Service Area representative from NATO Communications and Information Agency stated that he successful completion of FAST for Viasat's VISION software represents a significant milestone. This confirms that Viasat's VISION platform meets critical requirements for the NATO UHF SATCOM modernization project, with full operational capability of the system expected in early 2019.
Ken Peterman, President, Government Systems, said that the company's VISION software is key to providing warfighters with assured, reliable, real-time communications to enhance mission effectiveness at the tactical edge. Successful completion of FAST requirements is a necessary step to expediting delivery of the software to provide NATO forces with greater communications interoperability, scalability and flexibility across legacy and next-generation platforms, further enhancing situational awareness as the battlespace dynamically expands.
