Satellite communication system demonstrated

Secure communications between ships, aircraft and ground forces equipped with satellite communications systems is on the horizon, St. Louis company Boeing said. An in-flight demonstration of such a satellite communications systems was recently conducted by Boeing and the U.S. Navy using an EA-18G Growler equipped with a SATCOM antenna. "Using the existing EA-18G architecture allowed Boeing and the Navy to demonstrate this capability less than 90 days after the initial request," said Mike Gibbons, Boeing F/A-18 and EA-18 Programs vice president. "This approach significantly reduced risk, cost and testing schedule, while demonstrating this important communications capability for the Navy." The testing was conducted at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division's Advanced Weapons Lab at China Lake, Calif. The Growler's crew conducted satellite-enabled secure voice and data transmissions with a ground-based team at China Lake and at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., Boeing said in a news release.