ThinKom Solutions has secured Northrop Grumman’s purchase of its ThinAir SATCOM antennas for installation on the U.S. Navy’s E-130J Phoenix II, the next-generation aircraft being developed to take over the TACAMO mission. The Hawthorne, California-based company said the selection supports a strategic communications platform that must deliver resilient, available and survivable connectivity for airborne command-and-control operations.
The antenna was chosen for high-bandwidth beyond-line-of-sight SATCOM, multi-orbit connectivity, anti-jam performance, survivability features and aerodynamic efficiency. ThinKom also positioned the ThinAir line as compatible with both geostationary and non-geostationary satellite constellations, aligning it with the needs of a platform intended to replace the Navy’s E-6B Mercury fleet.
The TACAMO mission, or Take Charge and Move Out, is a key link in the U.S. nuclear command-and-control communications chain. Northrop Grumman is developing the E-130J Phoenix II as the prime contractor for the programme, while the financial terms of the antenna purchase were not disclosed.