The U.S. Space Force awarded contracts totaling $437.6 million to Viasat and SES to build communications satellites for the Protected Tactical Satcom-Global (PTS-G) program, creating a resilient network of smaller satellites using commercial technology.

The first batch, Swarm 1, will consist of four spacecraft, with each of Viasat and SES building two satellites, and delivery is targeted by March 2029.

PTS-G will deploy a geostationary swarm architecture to bolster resilience against jamming and cyber attacks, ensuring regional coverage even if individual satellites are disrupted.

Pentagon budget documents show a second procurement round in 2028 for four additional PTS-G satellites, with deployment planned for 2031.

Satellites will operate in X-band and military Ka-band frequencies and will leverage commercial satellite technology to enhance capability and resilience.

The contracts follow a July selection from five firms—Astranis, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Viasat, and SES—to develop demonstration payloads for PTS-G.

The overarching goal of PTS-G is to distribute communications across multiple small satellites to prevent complete service loss from single-point failures, using commercial tech to boost security and resilience.