Northrop Grumman Corp Australia recently hosted Michael McCormack (Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister) at Kapooka, to ‘turn the first sod’ at Satellite Ground Station East (SGS-E) and initiate the start of construction of the new facility.

SGS-E will be a key component of the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) future satellite communications (SATCOM) capability, delivered by Northrop Grumman Australia and Viasat.

The facility will give the ADF access to military communications satellites such as the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) constellation, which allows ADF personnel deployed across the Indo-Pacific region to connect to communications networks in Australia (www.northropgrumman.com).

Additionally, SGS-E will give access to a range of commercial communications satellite services.

Ian Irving, chief executive of Northrop Grumman Australia, said: “Northrop Grumman and Viasat will provide the ADF a comprehensive and proven solution for taking full advantage of Australia’s investment in the WGS communications system, plus the flexibility necessary to accommodate future needs.”