US Military Tests Ground Forces Communication With Space-Based IR Satellites

Sputnik News

03:01 16.12.2016

The US military tested the latest version of the ground-based Joint Tactical Ground System (JTAGS) that communicates with space-based infrared satellites.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The US military tested the latest version of the ground-based Joint Tactical Ground System (JTAGS) that communicates with space-based infrared satellites, the Army said in a press release.

"Military operational testers recently conducted the first operational test in 20 years of the Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAGS) that communicates with the Air Force's space-based infrared satellites (SBIRS)," the release stated on Thursday. "The system that underwent the recent testing was a new version of the system."

The new JTAGS system provides real time alert information to forces on the ground to facilitate force protection efforts, defense, and attack operations, the release explained.

SBIRS, is an orbiting network of satellites in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), payloads in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO), and flexible ground processing and control systems that provide a continuous view of the Earth's surface.

Five JTAGS are deployed worldwide as part of the US Strategic Command's Tactical Event System. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Soldiers operate JTAGS to provide 24/7 support to theater operations.

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