WASHINGTON — Raytheon’s intelligence and space business announced Wednesday it was awarded a five-year basic ordering agreement for software services by LevelUP, a U.S. Air Force software factory.

The award to the defense giant comes after the company announced a $70 million contract for submarine communications sustainment with the Navy. A Raytheon spokesperson was unable to provide a contract value for the Air Force deal.

According to Raytheon, the basic ordering agreement will be the “primary avenue” for the Air Force’s Platform One system, which serves as the service’s primary platform for software development. The deal also impacts the development of the Advanced Battle Management System, the Air Force’s platform to enable the Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept.

“To combat increasingly fast, capable and agile threats, we must be able to deliver services within hours, or even minutes,” said David Appel, vice president of defense and civil solutions for space and C2 systems with Raytheon Intelligence and Space. “This agreement provides an avenue for the Air Force to achieve that. We’re now positioned to rapidly deliver agile cyber solutions to the Air Force and the Department of Defense.”

The Air Force decided to create the LevelUP factory after its work developing U.S. Cyber Command’s Unified Platform, the combatant command’s first major weapons system. The Air Force wanted the factory to help other components with similar software projects.

Submarine communications

Meanwhile, below sea level, Raytheon was awarded a $70 million contract to provide sustainment services to Navy submarines, the defense giant announced Dec. 1.

Under the five-year, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, Raytheon will provide test, inspection, evaluation and restoration services of Submarine High-Data Rate, or SubHDR, mast components.

SubHDR connects submarines to the Defense Department’s Global Broadcast Service, a network that allows for one-way communication of data and video files. The SubHDR systems relies on a special mast antenna that connects the subs to networks above the sea. The Global Broadcast Service relies on the Milstar satellite constellation and Defense Satellite Communication System.

According to a Raytheon news release, SubHDR “vastly improves a submarine’s mission capability and the quality of life for submariners by affording them high-data rate communications with the world outside of the sub.”

“The SubHDR system was created to support protected high-data rate communications for submarines,” said Denis Donohue, vice president for communications and airspace modernization systems for Raytheon Intelligence and Space. “SubHDR mast is a protected, secure and survivable system to support all communications needs, from day-to-day messaging to ensuring the commander-in-chief can stay connected with his commanders.”

Naval Undersea Warfare Center awarded the contract.

About Andrew Eversden

Andrew Eversden covers all things defense technology for C4ISRNET. He previously reported on federal IT and cybersecurity for Federal Times and Fifth Domain, and worked as a congressional reporting fellow for the Texas Tribune. He was also a Washington intern for the Durango Herald. Andrew is a graduate of American University.

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