Raytheon dives into submarine satellite communications

Submarines cruising at periscope depth will be able to connect to military satellites using a communications system developed by Raytheon Co.

Under a $35.9 million contract with the Navy, Raytheon will deliver 15 Submarine High Data Rate multi-band satellite communications systems, said officials from the Waltham, Mass., company.

Raytheon has provided more than 71 communications systems to the Navy during the last six years, under previous contracts totaling more than $160 million. Sub HDR technology, which Raytheon developed in the 1990s, links submarines to the Global Broadcast service, the Milstar satellite constellation and the Defense Satellite Communication System.

The Sub HDR solution lets sailors transmit and receive information by raising a mast just above the sea's surface while the ship is submerged at periscope depth. The system transmits secure, wideband multi-media, Internet access, voice and data traffic, imagery and videoconferencing.

Raytheon, which has more than 80,000 employees and had annual sales of $21.9 billion in fiscal 2005, ranks No. 7 on on Washington Technology's 2005 Top 100 list of federal prime contractors.