Hughes and ThinKom Demonstrate New Tactical Communications Solutions

New Solutions Offer Advanced on-the-Move Capabilities for the Defense Sector

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Oct 25, 2012, 08:30 ET

GERMANTOWN, Md., Oct. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite solutions and services, and a leading provider of managed network and application services, and ThinKom Solutions, Inc. (ThinKom), today announced the demonstration of ultra-low profile antennas and a manpack for global communications-on-the-move (COTM) missions. The ThinKom products include the ultra-low-profile Ku-band COTM antenna (ThinSAT^®300), the ultra-portable Manpack Ka-band antenna (ThinPACK^® KKA100) and the low-profile airborne Ka-band antenna (ThinAIR^® KA1000). The joint demonstration confirmed interoperability of ThinKom COTM antennas with the Hughes HX System, including its high-performance IP satellite routers with enhanced security features, operationally proven for high quality and highly-secure communications for defense customers worldwide.

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"Combining our HX System with ThinKom's ultra-low-profile antennas brings government and military customers new advances in tactical communications for airborne, sea and land," said Rick Lober, vice president and general manager of the Defense and Intelligence Systems Division, Hughes. "This capability comes at a crucial juncture when our nation requires affordable solutions to share an ever-increasing amount of real-time intelligence and battlefield information at all echelons of command."

"We are pleased ThinKom was able to integrate Hughes satellite technology with our ultra-low-profile antennas," said Mark Silk, CEO of Thinkom, "Our new antennas offer next-generation technological capabilities and their small profiles make them harder to identify, creating a safer environment for our military users."

The ThinSAT^® 300, originally developed for high-data rate OTM enterprise applications, enables an integrated, on-the-move satellite antenna terminal in an ultra-low-profile (4.5-inch-high), 59-inch-long enclosure. Based on the Variable Inclined Continuous Transverse Stub (VICTS) phased array technology, ThinKom's COTM antenna offers increased aperture efficiency and enhanced control of radiated power spectral density while remaining compliant with FCC and ITU requirements. ThinKom's ThinPACK^® KKA100 manportable antenna is based on its Continuous Transverse Stub (CTS) phased array antenna technology and enjoys the same benefits as the VICTS technology in terms of aperture efficiency and radiated power spectral density, while remaining compliant with MIL-STD-188-164A and ETSI EN 301 358. The ThinAIR^® KA1000 low-profile airborne antenna has been flight tested and proven to provide 7 Mbps uplink data rates and 4.5 Mbps downlink data rates while in-flight on the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) System. Other benefits include: worldwide commercial and government Ka-band connectivity, as well as high data rates and high-power spectral densities.

These products will be on display at the Military Communications (MILCOM) 2012 Conference in both the Hughes ( #1319) and the ThinKom ( #310) booths. MILCOM is being held October 29 – November 1, 2012 at the Gaylord Palms Hotel and Conference Center in Orlando, Florida.

To learn more about MILCOM 2012, visit www.milcom.org.

About ThinKom Solutions, Inc.
Founded in 2000, ThinKom, is a leading provider of innovative highly-affordable compact broadband antenna and product solutions for aeronautical, on-the-move (OTM), and manportable applications. Its primary products uniquely enable near-term worldwide availability of affordable high data rate connectivity in the X-, Ku-, Ka-, and Q-Band frequency bands for the consumer, enterprise, first-responder, civil, military, and intelligence communities. For more information about ThinKom, please visit www.thinkom.com.

About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes) is the world's leading provider of satellite broadband for home and office, delivering innovative network technologies, managed services, and solutions for enterprises and governments globally. HughesNet^® is the #1 high-speed satellite Internet service in the marketplace, with offerings to suit every budget. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 2.8 million systems to customers in over 100 countries, representing over 50 percent market share. Its products employ global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A, and GMR-1.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes operates sales and support offices worldwide, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), a premier global provider of satellite operations and digital TV solutions. For additional information about Hughes, please visit www.hughes.com.

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC