Communications & Power Industries LLC (CPI) has received initial orders totaling more than $5 million from a prime contractor for high-power, Ka-Band satellite communications amplifiers. These satcom amplifiers will be used in a U.S. military communications program intended to provide worldwide communications connectivity to tactically deployed forces.

 CPI will provide both solid-state and vacuum electron device products for the program, including solid-state power amplifiers (SSPA) with internal block-up converters (BUC) and CPI's SuperLinear® traveling wave tube amplifiers (TWTA). Work on this program will be performed across several of CPI's divisions. The program is expected to continue for the next five years.

 "It is an honor for CPI to have been selected to participate in this program supporting the U.S. military," said Joe Caldarelli, chief executive officer of CPI. "Communications systems that are reliable and rugged, yet small and light, are of critical importance to our warfighters, and CPI has devoted significant resources to developing and manufacturing dependable and state-of-the-art military communications products. In particular, our high-power SSPAs and SuperLinear TWTAs, such as the ones being used in this program, have been well received by our military communications customers.