Northrop Grumman picks ThinKom antennas for Navy E-130J Phoenix II

Northrop Grumman has selected ThinKom to provide satcom antennas for the U.S. Navy's E-130J Phoenix II aircraft. ThinKom announced the selection on 6 October.

The E-130J Phoenix II will take over the Navy's Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) mission from the E-6B Mercury fleet. TACAMO provides connectivity between the National Command Authority and U.S. nuclear forces. Northrop Grumman was selected as prime contractor for the aircraft in late 2024.

ThinKom will supply multi-orbit ThinAir antennas offering high-bandwidth beyond-line-of-sight satcom, anti-jam and survivability features. The design is already used on government and commercial aircraft, from small business jets to large cargo aircraft. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"The TACAMO mission depends on communications systems that are resilient, available and ready in the most demanding operating environments," said ThinKom CTO Bill Milroy.

Sourcesatellitetoday.com