Viasat wins $14 million contract to provide in-flight satcom for Navy executive aircraft

WASHINGTON — Viasat won a $14 million contract to provide in-flight satellite communications for the U.S. Navy’s fleet of C-37 executive transport aircraft used by senior leadership.

The two-year agreement, announced March 10, was issued by the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command Commercial Space Office, which acts as the Pentagon’s central buyer for commercial satellite communications services.

The contract covers connectivity for Navy C-37 aircraft — Gulfstream-based executive jets used to transport senior officials including the Secretary of the Navy and other top leaders. The aircraft rely on broadband links for secure communications, video conferencing and data access while traveling.

According to the contract announcement, Viasat’s service will be used to “maintain connectivity to support Naval senior leaders and very important persons with internet access to maintain and increase productivity and intelligence while in flight.”

The award was issued as a sole-source acquisition, a procurement method used when only one provider can meet requirements because of technical, schedule or integration constraints.

Viasat has long supplied satellite communications services for U.S. government executive transport aircraft. In 2015 the company was selected to provide satcom services for the Navy’s C-37 fleet. At the time, the Defense Information Systems Agency said Viasat was the only provider capable of delivering the required service for aircraft equipped with the company’s ArcLight modem.

ArcLight is a Viasat-developed satellite communications system designed for military and government aircraft. It provides high-capacity broadband connectivity in flight, allowing crews and passengers to access voice, video and data networks worldwide across both classified and unclassified systems.