Viasat, Inc. has successfully supported the U.S. Air Force’s Air Mobility Command (AMC) during the major military exercise, Mobility Guardian 2023 (MG23). The exercise involved 3,000 personnel and 70 aircraft from the U.S. and Allied Forces.
MG23 tested a rapid operational model across challenging environments. It featured complex test flights and operational scenarios across 3,000 miles of the Pacific region, including Japan, Australia, and Hawaii. Allied forces from Canada, France, New Zealand, and the U.K. also participated.
During the exercise, Viasat provided resilient and interoperable airborne communications through its C-130 Hercules Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLOS) hatch terminal. The high-capacity Ka-band terminal enables airborne command and control (C2) and situational awareness during missions, allowing for rapid deployment and increased maneuverability of forces. Viasat’s terminal provides Automated Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency (APACE) capabilities by seamlessly roaming across orbits and networks for resilient communications.
Viasat also supplied MG23’s Contingency Response Group with its nexgen interoperable tactical gateway, known as Move Out/Jump Off (MOJO) Next. The MOJO Next terminal integrates with USAF’s operational systems to crosslink incompatible networks and provide C2 and situational awareness on the battlefield, even when troops are deployed far from home.
To enable ground BLOS during the exercise, Viasat’s multi-mission terminal provided a small, rapidly deployable, multi-band, multi-waveform capability. Viasat’s NOMAD terminal provided Ka-band connectivity with easy activation. The company used its NetAgility SD-WAN networking router to bridge these networks with APACE to ensure connectivity.
Mobility Guardian, which was first launched in 2017, took place outside of the continental U.S. for the first time in 2023 to better prepare for operating in the Pacific region.
Viasat’s advanced communications technology plays a crucial role in supporting the mobility and maneuverability of military operations. By developing modular and interoperable solutions, Viasat aims to standardize the AMC fleet and reduce costs in future technology insertion.