Mission Microwave, a manufacturer of highly efficient Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs) and Envistacom, a leading provider of communications, cyber and intelligence operations solutions to the U.S. DoD, have confirmed the initial orders of a major satellite ground terminal upgrade program for a US Government customer.
Envistacom is working with Mission Microwave to create an opportunity for their customer to replace legacy traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTA) based Block Up Converters (BUCs) with state-of-the-art Solid State BUCs based on Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology. The initial upgrade platforms include 200 tactical terminals in support of the U.S. Army’s Project Manager Mission Network (PM MN).
Mission Microwave is providing Envistacom with 200 Watt Ku-Band and 50 Watt Ka-band BUCs to replace legacy TWTA based Up converters. Mission Microwave’s industry leading competency in designing compact and highly efficient amplifiers has enabled Envistacom to offer their customer an upgrade path that will extend the life and utility of this Tactical SATCOM terminal fleet of over 600 terminals. If taken to completion, the upgrade program could result in orders of roughly $44 million for Mission Microwave.
Most tactical customers now demand the reliability, performance and lower total cost of ownership associated with solid state amplifiers. Mission Microwave’s innovative application of GaN technology has enabled the use of solid state BUCs at power levels that were previously not practical. The trend of replacing high power TWTA’s with SSPA’s should be a significant market for the foreseeable future.
Click here to see SSPA based BUCs from Mission Microwave.
