UFO (satellite)
UFO ( UHF F / O, Ultra High Frequency Follow -On, Eng. UHF successor ) is a satellite communication system of the U.S. Navy, which is used for UHF radio communications between ships, submarines, aircraft and ground stations of the American Navy. The UFO program was planned as the successor to the FLTSATCOM satellite series, from which was derived the name.
A total of eleven manufactured by Boeing Satellite ( ten of them successful) were launched in the years 1993 to 2003, Atlas missiles in the geostationary orbit. The satellites are designed for a minimum service life of 10 years.
Four different variants (referred to as block 1 to 4) were produced, which have other different transponders in the SHF and EHF Ka-band frequency range in addition to the primary UHF transponders. The block -3 satellites provide the working Ka-band Broadband Global Broadcast System.
The successor system MUOS is built since February 2012.