By Jim Wolf
WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force said it hopes to award a roughly $11 billion contract for a restructured military communications satellite system in no more than a year.
Lockheed Martin Corp teamed with Northrop Grumman Corp, and Boeing Co, have done preliminary development work on the space segment of the so-called Transformational Communications Satellite system, or TSAT.
But other companies may join in bidding for the winner-take-all contract, said Gary Payton, the service's deputy undersecretary for space programs.
'It's going to be a full and open competition,' he said in a teleconference with reporters on Friday. The final request for proposals is expected to be released in April, Payton said, adding he would like to 'accelerate' the award if possible, consistent with a fair competition.
'Right now, it looks like ... about a year from now we can make a decision,' he said. He declined to spell out how much sooner he would like the award to be made.
Payton voiced confidence that the administration of Barack Obama, who will be sworn in as the 44th president on Tuesday, would back the program, citing what he called broad support across the armed forces and the military's joint staff.
The military is 'adamant' about getting TSAT's secure, jam-proof communications capabilities, which would speed operations for units as small as 8-12 troops by up to 70 percent by providing them detailed battlefield information, Payton said.
Last month, the Air Force ended a previous TSAT competition without awarding a contract, apparently as part of a belt-tightening move.
The initial configuration will now consist of four huge satellites, each weighing up to 20,000 pounds in orbit, plus one spare, but initially planned laser links among the satellites have been postponed indefinitely.
The first TSAT satellite would be launched in 2019, with successive launches about one year apart, Payton said. He said the system's 'life cycle' cost could be as much as $15 billion to $20 billion.
The U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems modernization program would rely heavily on TSAT advanced satellite communications capabilities.
TSAT ultimately will replace military communications satellite programs known as Milstar and AEHF. It will feed information to mobile forces, sensors, weapons, and command, control, and communications points located on unmanned aerial vehicles, piloted aircraft, on the ground, in the air, at sea or in space.
(Reporting by Jim Wolf; editing by Tim Dobbyn) Keywords: SATELLITE USA/MILITARY (jim.wolf@thomsonreuters.com; +1-202-898-8402; Reuters Messaging: jim.wolf.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force said it hopes to award a roughly $11 billion contract for a restructured military communications satellite system in no more than a year.
Lockheed Martin Corp teamed with Northrop Grumman Corp, and Boeing Co, have done preliminary development work on the space segment of the so-called Transformational Communications Satellite system, or TSAT.
But other companies may join in bidding for the winner-take-all contract, said Gary Payton, the service's deputy undersecretary for space programs.
'It's going to be a full and open competition,' he said in a teleconference with reporters on Friday. The final request for proposals is expected to be released in April, Payton said, adding he would like to 'accelerate' the award if possible, consistent with a fair competition.
'Right now, it looks like ... about a year from now we can make a decision,' he said. He declined to spell out how much sooner he would like the award to be made.
Payton voiced confidence that the administration of Barack Obama, who will be sworn in as the 44th president on Tuesday, would back the program, citing what he called broad support across the armed forces and the military's joint staff.
The military is 'adamant' about getting TSAT's secure, jam-proof communications capabilities, which would speed operations for units as small as 8-12 troops by up to 70 percent by providing them detailed battlefield information, Payton said.
Last month, the Air Force ended a previous TSAT competition without awarding a contract, apparently as part of a belt-tightening move.
The initial configuration will now consist of four huge satellites, each weighing up to 20,000 pounds in orbit, plus one spare, but initially planned laser links among the satellites have been postponed indefinitely.
The first TSAT satellite would be launched in 2019, with successive launches about one year apart, Payton said. He said the system's 'life cycle' cost could be as much as $15 billion to $20 billion.
The U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems modernization program would rely heavily on TSAT advanced satellite communications capabilities.
TSAT ultimately will replace military communications satellite programs known as Milstar and AEHF. It will feed information to mobile forces, sensors, weapons, and command, control, and communications points located on unmanned aerial vehicles, piloted aircraft, on the ground, in the air, at sea or in space.
(Reporting by Jim Wolf; editing by Tim Dobbyn) Keywords: SATELLITE USA/MILITARY (jim.wolf@thomsonreuters.com; +1-202-898-8402; Reuters Messaging: jim.wolf.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.