December 18, 2002

US Monolithics Wins Contract from ViaSat to Develop HPA for Military Satcom
Aboard Ships

 

U.S. Monolithics has won a contract for approximately $1 million from ViaSat Inc. (Nasdaq:VSAT) to develop and build a 200-watt High Power Amplifier (HPA) for use with seagoing military satellite communication terminals. The new HPA will be integrated with ViaSat RT-1829 UHF Demand Assigned Multiple Access (DAMA) terminals for use aboard ships. ViaSat has outstanding orders for 40 RT-1829 terminals from the French and Canadian Navies and the NATO Consultation, Control, and Command Agency under an ID/IQ contract from SPAWAR. The contract was won by U.S. Monolithics (USM) in a competitive bid against two other companies, and the development is expected to be complete in March, 2003.

 

“Our MD-1324 UHF Satcom modem is qualified and on-board U.S. Navy surface ships,” said Phil Berry, director of the ViaSat Mobil Satcom System group. “But this is the first deployment of the RT-18XX UHF terminal product line for shipboard use, so we need a qualified HPA to go with it.”

 

The USM HPA is designed to be three rack-units high and will integrate several off-the-shelf components, plus a USM-designed custom controller card. The RT-18XX terminal, when combined with the external HPA, LNA/diplexer, and an antenna comprises a complete low-cost terminal that provides from one to four UHF DAMA Satcom channels.

 

About US Monolithics

U.S. Monolithics, based in Chandler, Arizona, is a wholly owned subsidiary of ViaSat Inc., a producer of innovative satellite and other network communication products that enable fast, easy, secure, and efficient communications to any location. U.S. Monolithics focuses on providing superior, low-cost, MMIC-based products to the growing wireless telecommunications markets including satellite communications, point-to-point, and point-to-multipoint systems. U.S. Monolithics’ products include high-power Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) components and multi-chip modules, including power amplifiers, transceivers, and integrated block converters.