Space Force Awards Northrop Grumman $398 Million for Enhanced Protected Satcom Prototype

Overview

• The Space Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $398 million contract for the Enhanced PTS-P prototype, a decision the service announced Friday.
• The prototype will test advanced antennas and process the Protected Tactical Waveform in space to keep military communications working under jamming and cyber attack.
• Space Systems Command said the satellite will not launch until after the start of fiscal 2030, and the results will guide a follow-on effort called PTS-Resilient.
• Budget documents for fiscal 2027 request $449.4 million for the Protected Tactical Service portfolio, with $299.1 million for PTS efforts and $150.4 million for PTS-Global.
• PTS-Global, a bridging capability run through multiple vendors, carries awards of up to $4 billion and targets fielding X- and Ka-band satellites in the first half of fiscal 2029.