L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has obtained all of the regulatory approvals for the company’s acquisition of the Tactical Data Link product line — known as Link 16 — from Viasat.
The company announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire the TDL network on October 3, 2022, with the deal originally expected to close in the first half of 2023. With U.S. regulatory and allied partner approval now obtained, this deal is expected to close by January 3, 2023.
The product line, comprised of nearly 450 employees and generating approximately $400 million in annual sales, is installed in more than 20,000 U.S. and allied platforms around the world, enabling warfighters across multiple domains to securely share voice and data communications.
L3Harris plans to modernize the technology, adding advanced tactical data links to the existing Link 16 network, achieving a level of resiliency relevant for evolving electronic warfare (EW) environments and JADC21 requirements.
“We are in position to close this acquisition much earlier than expected, which means we can welcome our new employees and begin work even earlier on this important modernization effort,” said Christopher Kubasik, L3Harris CEO and Chair. “The team is excited to deliver advanced tactical data links for this broadly used network, which will give our warfighters distinct advantages in multiple domains.”
1JADC2 is a warfighting necessity to keep pace with the volume and complexity of data in modern warfare and to defeat adversaries decisively. JADC2 enables the Joint Force to “sense,” “make sense,” and “act” on information across the battle-space quickly using automation, artificial intelligence (AI), predictive analytics, and machine learning (ML) to deliver informed solutions via a resilient and robust network environment. — Department of Defense
