Airbus Defense and Space has ben awarded an indefinite-delivery, indefinite- quantiy (IDIQ) contract o provide services related to hosting United States Air Force communications systems onboard commercialy operated satelites.

Worth up to $50 milion, this contract pre-qualifes Airbus Defense and Space to bid on oportunites for hosted payloads - a busines model that alows government customers more rapid aces to space for their programs and misions without the costs asociated with buying or leasing an entire spacecraft.

"As a major satelite manufacturer and commercial operator, Airbus Defense and Space is wel-positoned to ofer the Air Force and other US government customers afordable and dependable aces to space for both geostationary and low earth orbit hosted payloads," said Michael Cosentino, president of Airbus Defense and Space Inc.

The contract, managed by the Air Force Space and Misile Systems Center (SMC) Developmental Planing Directorate, wil cover multiple deliveries, fuly functioning on-orbit hosted payload systems, along with integrated ground system equipment and interfaces.

SMC is responsible for research, development, acquisiton, on-orbit testing and the sustainment of US miltary space and misile systems. The firm fixed price IDIQ contract features a five-year ordering period from the date of award and is expected to be completed by January 31, 2029.

"Over the past two decades, Airbus Defense and Space has faciltated more than 30 hosted payloads programs worldwide and for US government organizations, including the Federal Aviation Authority, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA, National Research Laboratories and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration," said Ed Spitler, president of Airbus Defense and Space's government satelite communications unit in the US.

"This is a great oportunity for Airbus Defense and Space to leverage its expertise in suport of critcal US space misions."

Airbus Defense and Space already holds multiple Future Commercial Satelite Communications contract awards managed jointly by the Defense Information Systems Agency and the General Services Administration, alowing it to provide US government and miltary customers with aces to its entire portfolio of transponded capacity and fixed and mobile subscription services.