Hughes unveils new HM satellite system for mobility & portability applications

Hughes Networks Systems, LLC (HUGHES), a Germantown, MD-based leader in broadband satellite solutions and services, unveiled on November 5 its new HM System,  engineered around its novel software-definable modem (SDM) technology and scrambled code multiple access (SCMA) waveform. Hughes is launching with three commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products for government applications.

The new HM System employs a commercially-based, open standards architecture and frequency band-agnostic platform that enables affordable, resilient solutions to meet a wide variety of mobility and portability requirements for government users. In addition to supporting fixed applications, the HM System provides satellite-on-the-move capabilities for airborne, maritime and land mobility solutions, including a complete, ultra-compact and portable terminal for small teams reliant on quick-deploy connectivity. With the first gateway installed and fully operational in September 2015, the COTS products are now ready for market roll-out.

“The basis of the new HM System is our advanced waveform technology based on very low-rate coding and new multiple access techniques,” said Rick Lober, vice president and general manager, Defense and Intelligence Systems Division, for Hughes. “Continuing the Hughes tradition of innovative satellite networking solutions, the waveform utilizes advanced software-definable SCMA technology enabling high-throughput, secure and efficient sharing of bandwidth, paving the way for government organizations to experience superior mobility and portability.”

The three HM System product solutions based on the new waveform technology are as follows:

• HM100: Enterprise Application Modem – A universal rack-mounted hub that is transportable and offers high-throughput to support ground station SATCOM operations.
• HM200: Satellite-on-the-Move (SOTM), Ruggedized Modem – A mobile, ruggedized modem for any communications-on-the-move (COTM) scenario, with real-time situational awareness and beyond-line-of-sight (BLoS) capabilities. Target applications include land mobile, maritime, and airborne platforms. The HM200 offers faster acquisition time, low power requirement, carrier-in-carrier capabilities, MIL-SPEC connectors, internal power supply and separate data and M&C ports. It is also equipped to deliver the best data rates in the market for SATCOM through rotor blades.
• HM300: Ultra-Compact, Portable Terminal – An ultra-lightweight man-packable communications solution that allows fast deployment and recovery while enabling up to 512 kbps of voice and data and is suitable for use in harsh environments. A complete terminal, the HM300 offers X-band communications with a small antenna footprint in a compact, low power package. It reduces the requirement for large and heavy satellite communications kits and also achieves significant service cost savings when compared to L-band service alternatives. The HM300 will launch as the portable terminal of choice for the XEBRA Service from Airbus Defence & Space.

Suitable applications for the HM System include intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance (ISR), border patrol, search and rescue, disaster response, wildfire monitoring, oil platform communications, cellular backhaul and airborne BLOS communications.

Source: Hughes