Viasat and MDA to Expand Presence in Canada to Enhance Link 16 Capabilities for Canadian Armed Forces

Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, in partnership with MDA, a Maxar Technologies company, today announced plans to establish a repair, maintenance and upgrade service facility for Viasat'sLink 16 military communication terminals in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Halifax facility will be strategically located near the largest East Coast bases of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), which will allow Viasat and MDA to provide enhanced technical support for Viasat's Small Tactical Terminals (STT) and other small, next generation Link 16 devices. This support will include everything from software upgrades and crypto modernization initiatives, to retrofitting Multifunctional Information Distribution System Low Volume Terminal (MIDS-LVT) Block Upgrade 2 devices for critical RCN and RCAF platforms; including Halifax class frigates and Aurora aircraft, among others.

"This new Halifax facility represents Viasat's growing strategic footprint across Canada and our continued commitment to supporting the Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) evolving mission needs," said Ken Peterman, president, Government Systems, Viasat. "MDA has been an important partner, enabling us to rapidly deliver the latest advancements in Link 16 technology to a variety of CAF customers across Canada."

Mike Greenley, group president MDA added, "As one of the largest Canadian-based aerospace and defense companies, we have a long-term commitment to developing comprehensive Canadian capabilities that will enhance a variety of mission sets and benefit local economies. The MDA and Viasat Halifax facility will not only improve Link 16 advancements for CAF customers, it will also bring substantial economic benefits and job opportunities to the region."

Viasat is a market leader in Link 16 tactical data links with a broad portfolio of terminal configurations and form factors in the industry and thousands of systems fielded to allied countries around the globe. Viasat's tactical Link 16 radio communications systems provide U.S. and international allied warfighters with greater situational awareness by exchanging digital data over a common communication link that is continuously and automatically updated in real-time, reducing the chance of fratricide or duplicate assignments, while significantly enhancing mission effectiveness.