The U.S. Navy has accepted three General Dynamics C4 Systems-built ground stations for the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS). General Dynamics C4 Systems led the development and delivery of the ground systems and MUOS communications waveform; Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the entire MUOS system. Navy personnel will now operate the stations.

The MUOS ground stations are located in Hawaii, Virginia and Australia. They act like cell phone switches, receiving radio calls relayed through MUOS satellites from service members around the globe and connecting them to ground-based Department of Defense communication networks in just seconds. The ground stations also assist in the overall management and operation of the orbiting MUOS satellites.

MUOS radio calls, like those recently demonstrated in the Arctic Circle, use the General Dynamics-developed MUOS waveform. The waveform leverages the widely used commercial Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) cellular phone technology.

"The success in delivering these ground stations, combined with the successful MUOS waveform running on the AN/PRC-155 Manpack two-channel radio, are testaments to General Dynamics' expertise in delivering networks that securely and reliably connect military and government personnel with their commanders and others from virtually any location on the planet," said Chris Marzilli, president of General Dynamics C4 Systems.

"All they will need is to dial a 10-digit phone number just like they have with their personal cell phones."

The General Dynamics-built MUOS ground system provides communications and control interfaces among the MUOS satellites and Defense Dept. networks. Each ground station has three freestanding 18.4-meter Ka-band antennas atop 53-foot-tall pedestals.

A centralized operations and control center manages the ground stations' operation, providing Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, switching facilities, network management and other satellite command-and-control elements.

In November two MUOS-equipped AN/PRC-155 two-channel Manpack radios successfully completed secure voice and data calls from Alaska and the Arctic Circle for the first time during a demonstration led by Lockheed Martin.

Using the MUOS waveform, the AN/PRC-155 Manpack radios completed one-to-one voice and data calls as well as conference calls connecting more than five participants. The PRC-155 Manpack radio is the first and only tactical radio to deliver secure voice and data connectivity with the MUOS system in polar regions.