A US arm of QinetiQ Group PLC (LSE:QQ.) has won a US$224 million (£177 million) contract with the US Defense Department to provide services for the US Space Force's Space Development Agency.
Beating off one other competitive bid, the five-year contract was awarded to defence contractor Avantus Federal, which QinetiQ US bought last year in a US$590 million deal, to assist with the development of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) network of military satellites and sensors.
Avantus will provide systems engineering and technical support to the Space Development Agency as it puts together the constellation of hundreds of satellites in low-Earth orbit that are designed to provide the US armed forces with support for missions on the ground.
Once completed, PWSA will include seven layers: transport, battle management, tracking, custody, emerging capabilities – or deterrence, navigation and support.