Lockheed gets 10-year, $1.9B contract for 2 AEHF satellites

Lockheed Martin received a 10-year, $1.9 billion contract modification from the Air Force for its continuing work on the Advanced Extremely High Vehicle (AEHF) program, the Defense Department said Dec. 28.

Under the agreeement, the Bethesda, Md.-based company will be responsible for production launch operations for AEHF space vehicles 5 and 6, DOD said.

The Air Force's AEHF program was established to deploy a series of communications satellites in geostationary orbit for jam-resistant communications with a low probability of interception for strategic command and tactical warfighters operating on ground, sea and air platforms, according to the company's website. A single AEHF satellite provides greater total capacity than the entire legacy five-satellite Milstar constellation. Two AEHF spacecraft are currently in orbit.

Lockheed Martin will perform the services in Sunnyvale and El Segundo, Calif., DOD said.

The DOD expects the work to be completed by Jan. 24, 2022. The contracting activity is SMC/PKJ, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.