L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: LHX) announced on November 3, 2026, that it has received a $36 million production order from the U.S. Army to supply Hawkeye 4 Lite (H4L) Satellite Communications (SATCOM) flyaway terminals.
Procured under the U.S. Army’s Command and Control Network Optimized for Warfighting (C2NOW) initiative, the expeditionary ground terminals are engineered to deliver scalable data processing, resilient path diversity, and unified mission command down to brigade combat teams (BCTs). The fielding plan focuses on establishing secure, high-throughput SATCOM interoperability between U.S. maneuver formations and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allied forces operating across electronic warfare (EW)-contested theaters. Deliveries under the delivery order are scheduled to begin in early 2027 to active and reserve army echelons.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: L3HARRIS HAWKEYE 4 LITE (H4L) VSAT ARCHITECTURE
System Classification, Transportability & Antenna Optics
⚡ Developer & OEM: L3Harris Technologies (Communication Systems / Mission Critical Communications — Rochester, NY)
⚡ Platform Classification: 1.3-Meter Man-Portable Flyaway Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT)
⚡ Antenna Reflector Geometry: 1.3-meter segmented carbon-fiber parabolic reflector using center-fed optics
⚡ Transportability Envelope: Packed into two ruggedized, airline-checkable transit cases weighing <84 lbs (38 kg) per base case; overall deployed footprint measures 4 × 4 ft
⚡ Deployment Metrics: Designed for tool-less assembly, manual or automatic pointing (via optional Auto Acquire Kit / AAK), and satellite link acquisition in under 5 minutes
⚡ Environmental Hardening: Certified to MIL-STD-810H standards (sand/dust, shock, vibration, rain, extreme temperatures); compliant with MIL-STD-461 for EMI/EMC shielding 
RF Performance, Multi-Band Modularity & Multi-Orbit Connectivity
💥 Operational Frequency Bands: Multi-band frequency coverage supporting X-band, Ku-band, and Ka-band
• X-band (Transmit: 7.9–8.4 GHz | Receive: 7.25–7.75 GHz)
• Ku-band (Transmit: 13.75–14.5 GHz | Receive: 10.95–12.75 GHz)
• Ka-band (Transmit: 29.0–31.0 GHz | Receive: 19.2–21.2 GHz)
💥 Field-Swappable RF Feeds: Field-swappable RF feed cartridges allow operators to change frequency bands in <5 minutes without specialized tools
💥 Multi-Orbit Network Architecture: Supports simultaneous path diversity across Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and High Elliptical Orbit (HEO) constellations
💥 Network Certifications: Certified for operation on Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS / Delta 8), SES mPOWER (Ka-band), Viasat GlobalXpress (GX), Intelsat FlexGovSecure (Ku-band), and XTAR networks
Avionics, Swap-and-Go Modularity & Anti-Jam Protections
🚀 Software-Defined Modem Architecture: Integrated multi-modem support including the Comtech 5650C2/MP (MEO/GEO/HEO capability in a single module), iDirect 950mp/450mp, Viasat CBM-400, and MPM-2500 modules
🚀 Electronic Protection (EP) & Waveforms: Incorporates Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) Low Probability of Intercept / Low Probability of Detection (LPI/LPD) waveforms
🚀 Active Interference Cancellation: Integrated L3Harris GATEKEEPER™ software-defined signal processing suite automatically detects, isolates, and excises intentional EW jamming or co-channel interference in real time
🚀 Control Interface & Networking: Managed via on-mount color LCD screen or remote ViewSAT-e web GUI; features 4× Gigabit RJ-45 LAN ports and optional tactical fiber extension up to 1,500 meters
TIMES OF DEFENCE ASSESSMENT
The U.S. Army’s $36 million acquisition of L3Harris Hawkeye 4 Lite terminals highlights the service’s push to modernize expeditionary satellite communications under the C2NOW framework.
From a defense electronics and network architecture perspective, this contract provides three main strategic advantages:
1. **Multi-Orbit Resiliency Against EW and Orbital Interruption**: Relying on single-constellation GEO satellites leaves forward command posts vulnerable to kinetic attacks or jamming. The Hawkeye 4 Lite’s multi-orbit engine (linking GEO, MEO, and HEO constellations) provides path diversity. If an adversary jams a commercial Ku-band GEO link, the terminal can switch to a military X-band link or a high-throughput SES mPOWER MEO channel, maintaining uninterrupted mission command data flow.
2. **Simplified Allied Interoperability at the Tactical Edge**: Operating under coalition frameworks (such as NATO Joint All-Domain Command and Control / JADC2) requires field units to connect to allied networks without carrying separate ground equipment. The Hawkeye 4 Lite’s tool-less, field-swappable RF feed modules and open modem architecture allow U.S. and NATO operators to configure the terminal for local host-nation satellite beams in minutes, eliminating cross-coalition networking barriers.
3. **Optimizing Footprint for Dispersed Brigade Command Posts**: Large, static command posts with towed satellite dishes are easily located and targeted by enemy electronic surveillance and counter-battery fires. By packing high-throughput X/Ku/Ka-band SATCOM performance into two 84-lb airline-checkable transit cases, the H4L allows small, agile brigade command nodes to set up, connect, and relocate quickly before adversary sensors can pinpoint their positions.
