What is the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) Satellite System?

The Advanced Extremely High-Frequency (AEHF) Satellite System is a series of six military communication satellites, operated by the United States Air Force Space Command, planned to replace the currently in-orbit Milstar satellite system. The throughput of these geostationary satellites will be ten times higher than that of the Milstar Satellites and provides increased coverage area.

This satellite system will provide global, secure and survivable communication capabilities to sea, ground and air force assets. The satellite enables military communications with real-time video, battlefield maps and targeting data, boosted by a five-fold increase in individual user data rates. A single AEHF satellite provides greater total capacity than the entire legacy five-satellite Milstar constellation. The jam-resistant AEHF system will serve US armed forces and their partners including Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

The AEHF program was started in 1999 and the development began in 2001. The first three satellites are on orbit and the fourth satellite was launched in October 2018. The production of the fifth and sixth satellites, called AEHF-5 and AEHF-6, is currently underway. Lockheed Martin Space Systems developed the four AEHF satellites and Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems supplied the payload.