Kratos Introduces Integration-Ready OpenEdge™ Digitizer Designed for Satellite Antenna Manufacturers Seeking to Digitally Enable Their Products

SAN DIEGO, April 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS), a technology company specializing in defense, national security, and communications solutions, announced today the release of its OpenEdge™ 2500 digitizer designed specifically to help satellite antenna makers digitally enable their products. When integrated into any antenna, the compact digitizer reliably converts radio frequency (RF) signals into Internet protocol (IP) data streams that are easily consumed for use in modern software-defined communications networks.

The OpenEdge 2500 enables digitization to occur natively within nearly any parabolic, electronically steerable, or flat panel antenna. Today, when digitization is done at all, it occurs within a separate, added network component located either at the gateway, at the remote user terminal or somewhere in between. For both accuracy and transport efficiency, however, it is best to digitize as close to the signal's origin as possible, and there is no place closer than within the antenna itself.

Cobham Satcom, a global industry leader in the design and manufacture of accurate, multi-orbit, active tracking antennas for land, maritime, fixed and mobile applications across GEO, HEO, MEO and LEO satellites, will be the first to integrate the OpenEdge 2500 into its Comms on the Pause (COTP) satcom Tactical Terminals as well as other parabolic and flat panel electronically steerable antenna (ESA) terminals for both maritime and land applications. Cobham Satcom has considerable prior experience in the development and integration of digitization in its product lines and is an ideal partner to introduce the OpenEdge 2500.

The OpenEdge 2500 easily and effectively transforms traditional satellite antennas into digital ones, streamlining operations and allowing satellite service providers far more flexibility in configuring the best terminal solutions to meet their customers' needs. Specifically, the availability of digital-ready antennas will provide network operators with an additional path for migrating to software-enabled (SE) terminals. SE terminals replace the purpose-built, proprietary equipment used at the network's edge today with generic off-the-shelf compute, placing far more application power and security directly in the user's hands. The OpenEdge 2500, like all Kratos OpenSpace^® products, is based on industry standards, including the DIFI interoperability standard, enabling seamless integration with other standards-compliant devices and virtualized network functions from other vendors.

"Digitization offers much needed flexibility and opens up new ways to drive forward satellite communications," said Bob Potter, TRACKER CTO at Cobham Satcom. “As one of the first antenna manufacturers to join the Digital IF Interoperability (DIFI) Consortium, we have long promoted standards-based digitization for the next generation of multi-orbit, multi-domain and multi-network terminals and gateways into the digital age. Adapting and optimizing the OpenEdge 2500 will allow us to deliver much desired digital-ready capabilities to both government and enterprise users, whether on COTP terminals deployed in the electronic battlefield, or to New Space and research organizations at the forefront of signal processing, virtualization, and cloud connectivity.”

Other advantages of the OpenEdge 2500 that will help antenna manufacturers better support their customers, especially when compared to alternative digitization equipment and processes include:

• Increased operational efficiency. Operational integration occurs at the board level as an embedded component within the antenna. As a result, the OpenEdge 2500 does not require its own space, power or temperature control, or a separate enclosure.
• Low Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP). The OpenEdge 2500 was designed for maximum performance at the farthest edge of the network. At less than an inch tall, the OpenEdge 2500 is less than one-third the size of today's smallest digitizers and architected specifically to fit most antenna form factors, with alternate configurations for unique platforms coming.
• Rugged Design. The OpenEdge 2500 can withstand shock, vibration, wide temperature and humidity ranges and other environmental factors, making it ideal for terminals on the move or in contested or challenging locations.
• Native BUC and LNB Support. Power and frequency references are supplied automatically from the OpenEdge 2500, enabling streamlined operations with any needed signal-enhancing equipment such as Block Up Converters (BUC) or Low Noise Block Converters (LNB).
• WGS ready. The OpenEdge 2500 is built ready to work with Wideband Global SATCOM Satellites (WGS), the backbone of the U.S. military's wideband satellite communications capability. WGS provides worldwide, high-capacity communications for U.S. Government Agencies, the Department of Defense (DOD), international partners, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
  

OpenEdge products are part of Kratos' OpenSpace^® Platform, supporting Kratos' ongoing effort to bring satellite services into the communications mainstream by digitally enabling ground systems to operate seamlessly with today's wireless and terrestrial networks.

"Digitizing at the antenna is the critical first step in the digital transformation of satellite ground systems," said Kevin Tobias, Director of Edge Product Management at Kratos. "With digital antennas powered by the OpenEdge 2500, antenna manufacturers can help their customers get fast, assured data transport over any IP network. They can also provide their customers with the ability to leverage IP networking and cloud architectures and fully virtualized and orchestrated operations to achieve their business goals."

For more information about the OpenEdge 2500, visit: https://www.KratosDefense.com/OpenEdge2500

For more information about Kratos' OpenSpace Platform, visit: https://www.KratosDefense.com/OpenSpace

For more information about Cobham Satcom, visit: https://cobham-satcom.com/gds/tactical

About Kratos OpenSpace
Kratos' OpenSpace family of solutions enables the digital transformation of satellite ground systems to become a more dynamic and powerful part of the space network. The family consists of three product lines: OpenSpace SpectralNet for independent conversion of satellite RF signals to digital format; OpenSpace quantum products, which are standalone, virtual versions of traditional hardware components; and the OpenSpace Platform, the first commercially available, fully orchestrated, software-defined ground system. These three OpenSpace lines enable satellite operators and other service providers to implement digital operations at their own pace and in ways that meet their unique mission goals and business models. For more information about the OpenSpace family, visit http://KratosDefense.com/OpenSpace.

About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS) is a technology company that develops and fields transformative, affordable systems, products, and solutions for United States National Security, our allies, and global commercial enterprises. At Kratos, Affordability is a Technology, and Kratos is changing the way breakthrough technology is rapidly brought to market – at a low cost – with actual products, systems, and technologies rather than slide decks or renderings. Through proven commercial and venture capital-backed approaches, including proactive, internally funded research and streamlined development processes, Kratos is focused on being First to Market with our solutions well in advance of the competition. Kratos is the recognized Technology Disruptor in our core market areas, including Space and Satellite Communications, Cyber Security and Warfare, Unmanned Systems, Rocket and Hypersonic Systems, Next-Generation Jet Engines and Propulsion Systems, Microwave Electronics, C5ISR, and Virtual and Augmented Reality Training Systems. For more information, visit http://www.KratosDefense.com.

About Cobham Satcom
Cobham Satcom is a global leader in radio and satellite communication solutions for land and maritime sectors. At the forefront of satellite communication technology for over forty years, Cobham Satcom delivers accurate, robust, multi-orbit, active tracking antennas for land, maritime, fixed, and mobile applications across GEO, LEO, and MEO satellites. Cobham Satcom systems provide business and mission-critical connectivity to a broad range of service providers, enterprises, and government customers.

Cobham Satcom designs and manufactures high-performance user terminals, gateways, and systems. The SAILOR, Sea Tel, EXPLORER, and TRACKER brands offer innovative, highly reliable solutions that are easy to integrate and use, whether on established satellite systems or next-generation constellations.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions of the management of Kratos and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Kratos undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Although Kratos believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve many risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from what may be expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. For a further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Kratos in general, see the risk disclosures in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Kratos for the year ended December 25, 2022, and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the SEC by Kratos.

Kratos Press Contact:
Yolanda White
858-812-7302 Direct

Kratos Investor Information:
877-934-4687
investor@kratosdefense.com

Cobham Satcom Press Contact:
KC Kinniburgh
925-348-4929
chava.kinniburgh@cobhamsatcom.com

Cobham Satcom Business Contact:
Jon Davis, Sales Director
925-332-8835
jon.davis@cobhamsatcom.com