Hughes Awarded Contract by GA-ASI to Connect U.S. Army's Gray Eagle UAV with Next Gen Satellite Communications

Satellite system upgrades will expand flexibility and resiliency on major program of record

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Mar 11, 2020, 08:00 ET

GERMANTOWN, Md., March 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services, today announced it has been awarded a Data Link Modernization (DLM) contract by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to provide new advanced satellite communications (SATCOM) systems for the U.S. Army's MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). Under the contract, Hughes will provide advanced, ruggedized HM400 modems that integrate with the DoD's waveform technology to support the wide range of unique mission requirements of the U.S. Army – including operations in contested environments.

Hughes will provide both air and ground modems for the U.S. Army Gray Eagle Extended Range UAS platform with ongoing software upgrades to maintain continuous operational resiliency. Hughes will work with Comtech Telecommunications Corp. on the production of ground equipment and waveform technology in support of the program.

"We are very excited to support GA-ASI with a modern, cost-effective and open systems architecture with the speed, flexibility and resiliency necessary to meet the next generation of mission requirements for the Army and other DoD users," said Rick Lober, vice president and general manager of the Defense Division at Hughes. "This contract reinforces the commitment of both General Atomics and Hughes to serving the U.S. Army with enhanced communications capabilities for mission-critical unmanned platforms."

This contract is a testament to the growing success of the Hughes airborne solutions for unmanned systems as it follows a previous contract to upgrade communications on the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, a type-certifiable variant of GA-ASI's Predator^® B Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA).

To learn more about Hughes defense solutions, visit defense.hughes.com

About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in broadband satellite technology and services for home and office. Its flagship high-speed satellite Internet service is HughesNet®, the world's largest satellite network with over 1.4 million residential and business customers across the Americas. For large enterprises and governments, the company's HughesON™ managed network services provide complete connectivity solutions employing an optimized mix of satellite and terrestrial technologies. The JUPITER™ System is the world's most widely deployed High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) platform, operating on more than 40 satellites by leading service providers, delivering a wide range of broadband enterprise, mobility and cellular backhaul applications. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 7 million terminals of all types to customers in over 100 countries, representing approximately 50 percent market share, and its technology is powering broadband services to aircraft around the world.

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. For additional information about Hughes, please visit www.hughes.com and follow @HughesConnects on Twitter.

About EchoStar
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) is a premier global provider of satellite communication solutions. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and conducting business around the globe, EchoStar is a pioneer in secure communications technologies through its Hughes Network Systems and EchoStar Satellite Services business segments. For more information, visit www.echostar.com. Follow @EchoStar on Twitter.

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC