MIDS cryptographic module to be developed by ViaSat
NewsFebruary 05, 2013
CARLSBAD. ViaSat won a contract from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) for the design, development, and production of a cryptographic module (LCM) for the Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Low Volume Terminal (MIDS-LVT) Block Upgrade 2. SPAWAR officials awarded the contract on behalf of the MIDS Program Office (MPO) (JPEOJTRS10).
Under the contract ViSat will handle development, prototype delivery, testing, and integration of the cryptographic module, which will be designed for integration into different MIDS-LVT hardware variants. The award also calls for production of about 10,000 LCMs for retrofit of all MIDS-LVT hardware in service once development is completed.
ViSat will leverage its PSIAM cryptographic technology, which is based entirely on commercial off the shelf (COTS) components, for the contract, says Richard Quintana, ViSat director of Information Assurance Technology for ViaSat Secure Network Systems. The COTS nature of the technology enables cost-effective reconfigurability for new applications, he adds.
MIDS-LVT terminals enable secure, high capacity, jam resistant, digital data and voice communications for Marine Corps, Navy, Army, and foreign tactical aircraft, as well as for shipboard and ground-based air control personnel.
