Boeing wins $383M Air Force satellite security contract

Boeing has won a seven-year, $383.4 million contract to develop a joint ground system for the Air Force to use in protecting its satellite communications network from jamming and intercepts.

The Air Force received two other bids for the Protected Tactical Enterprise Service program that focuses on warfighters in contested environments, the Defense Department said in its Monday awards digest.

PTES supports the Air Force’s Wideband Global Satcom satellite constellation that is used by the militaries of the U.S., Canada and Australia. Boeing is the prime contractor for the WGS program, which has launched nine satellites since 2007 with the 10th scheduled for launch in November.

Initial operational capability for PTES is required by June 2023 to utilize one WGS satellite with full operational capability due by the end of 2026 to utilize 10 satellites, according to solicitation documents.