Lockheed Martin has opened a radio terminal development and certification facility that will make it easier for companies to design hardware and software for the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite network.
The $6.5 million, 3,400-square-foot Test Radio Access Facility (TRAF) allows developers to test and validate software, hardware and applications, under a variety of operational environments, according to a Lockheed news release.
TRAF's ability to create "private suites" allows companies to shield their trade secrets from competitors while sharing the test environment. Developers also can test terminals and applications on the same equipment expected to be used for final certification, according to Lockheed.
The center is located at Lockheed's Sunnyvale, California, campus. "Lockheed Martin's goal with the TRAF is to help terminal developers and application integrators get MUOS' capabilities deployed to the warfighter as quickly as possible," said MUOS TRAF manager Glenn Ladue. "Providing a high fidelity, end-to-end test environment during development will dramatically shorten the time it takes to get from a good idea to operational utility."
