U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has awarded L3Harris Technologies a five-year with options, $100 million contract to upgrade and extend the service life of its existing fleet of approximately 550 L3Harris Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT). The contract was received in December.

L3Harris will provide software, hardware and warranty upgrades that will extend the life of existing Hawkeye III Lite VSAT terminals and deliver significant cost savings. The VSATs originally were secured through the Satellite Deployable Node - Family of Terminals or Satellite Deployable Node - Medium contracts for the program.

The Hawkeye III Lite auto-acquire VSAT is a light-weight, tri-band flyaway system that can be deployed in a matter of minutes by Special Operations Forces. They provide vital communications reach back capability to SOCOM headquarters and other government entities.

“This agreement extends the service life of our customer’s existing terminals and highlights the priority USSOCOM places on ensuring their deployed users are equipped with the latest in VSAT technology,” said Chris Aebli, President, Global Communication Systems, L3Harris.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer said: “Rochester’s L3Harris Technologies has the best workforce, and the U.S. Special Operations Command's $100 million five-year contract will only boost it even further. I’ve been proud to help L3Harris Technologies secure a level playing field to compete and grow its business in Rochester, so it can continue to boost the region’s economy, create jobs and provide critical technology to our military.”

L3Harris Technologies is an agile global aerospace and defense technology innovator, delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers’ mission-critical needs. The company provides advanced defense and commercial technologies across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains.

L3Harris has approximately $17 billion in annual revenue and 50,000 employees, with customers in 130 countries.