Raytheon to build Air Force satellite radios

Raytheon Co. won a $14.5 million Global Broadcasting Service contract from the Air Force's Electronic System Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.

Raytheon will build 59 Army receiver units and 69 Air Force Internet protocol receiver units so field commanders can receive theater-specific command and control information expeditiously. The work is expected to last through 2008, said Raytheon spokesman Keith Little.

The secure receiver units make classified and unclassified data available to network operators, command centers and field users, expediting the sharing of mission-critical information.

"GBS is a proven communications tool for the military, providing key technology expertise to the Air Force," said McClellan DuBois, vice president of the Intelligence and Information Systems unit at Raytheon, based in Garland, Texas. "The system provides the warfighter [with] an operational picture in near real-time."

GBS is a high bandwidth data broadcast system designed to carry large multimedia files worldwide, freeing up local networks from the large files, according to Raytheon. GBS broadcasts more than 4 terabytes of data worldwide every day using three military satellites and several leased commercial satellites. The receive segment includes ground (fixed and transportable), shipboard and subsurface GBS units.

Raytheon of Waltham, Mass., has 73,000 employees and had annual sales of $20.3 billion in 2006. The company ranks No. 6 on Washington Technology's 2006 Top 100 list of the largest federal IT contractors. The 2007 Top 100 list is due out May 14.