Boeing successfully tests TSAT

China has been testing — in a rather public fashion — its anti-satellite warfare (ASW) capabilities, which got people, in both government and the public sector, worried. No other country - and no other economy — rely as much on satellites for communication, observation, target acquisition, and more as does the United States. It is thus good to read that Boeing has successfully demonstrated the communications and transmission security architecture of its proposed Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT). In the tests, Boeing used TEAM TSAT partner General Dynamics C4 Systems’ Advanced INFOSEC Machine (AIM) to demonstrate how TSAT will send and receive encrypted messages once operational. “This is exactly the kind of teamwork that provides our U.S. Air Force customer with the best value,” said Howard Chambers, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. “TEAM TSAT already has achieved extensive risk reduction success over the past three years. The mature, established embedded encryption programming in the AIM technology will further reduce certification risk and increase TSAT’s adaptability to real-life scenarios.” The tests, conducted at General Dynamics’s facilities in Scottsdale, Arizona, supported the Defense Department’s Crypto Modernization Initiative (CMI) to transform and modernize information assurance capabilities. The demonstration also showed key capabilities such as uploading and reprogramming algorithms over the network as well as other security functions. “Our goal is to give the warfighter a high level of information security, availability of operation and protection against denial of service,” said John Cole, vice president of Information Assurance for General Dynamics C4 Systems. “We are combining our space cryptographic solutions and embedded AIM technology to develop a fully reprogrammable, CMI-compliant, High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptor for space to support TSAT’s mission needs.”

During the demonstration, TEAM TSAT also used Cisco Systems’ Internet protocol router to encrypt multiple channels. Select terminal devices were updated with a new encryption keys during the tests to further demonstrate Internet protocol security. Boeing’s TEAM TSAT consists of Cisco Systems, Hughes, IBM, Harris Corp., Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., LGS Innovations, Raytheon, General Dynamics C4 Systems, L-3 Communications, BBN Technologies, EMS Technologies SAIC and Innovative Communications Engineering (ICE). The Boeing team submitted its proposal to the Air Force on July 30. The Air Force is expected to announce the winner of the multi-billion-dollar TSAT space segment contract in January 2008.