ViaSat wins follow-on contract of US Navy’s LRASM programme

ViaSat has been contracted to deliver datalink communications for the integration and test phase of the US Navy's Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) programme.

The follow-on deal was awarded by Lockheed Martin, and will see ViaSat supply Weapon Data Link (WDL) L-Band Units (LBU) in support of missile test programme's datalink communications requirements.

The agreement also includes the delivery of engineering services for software enhancements and flight test support.

ViaSat Government Systems president Ken Peterman said: "Being selected by Lockheed Martin to provide the datalink unit for LRASM is a huge milestone for us.

"It validates our approach to the weapon datalink market by leveraging next-generation technology from our Battlefield Awareness and Targeting System (BATS) product line.”

The LRASM is a long-range, precision-guided anti-ship missile designed to meet the needs of US Navy and Air Force warfighters.

The weapon system will be able to communicate with launch platforms using the ViaSat datalink solution, as well as provide growth opportunities in the future.

ViaSat datalink units are intended to provide highly-advanced communications capabilities and improved performance beyond previous weapon datalink offerings.

These units also provide significantly reduced form factor with minimal development expense, according to the company.

The LRASM programme supports the US Navy's Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) effort to improve its ability to engage and destroy high-value targets from extended range.