L3Harris has received a new order to modernize the US Marine Corps’ satellite communications terminals, improving throughput and enabling access to multiple satellite orbits in support of Joint All-Domain Command and Control. The order upgrades Panther 2 man-portable terminals and Ku-band transceivers, raising power output to 25 watts. Panther 2 is a tri-band, backpack-deployable SATCOM system that can be set up by one Marine in under 10 minutes. With modular components, passive cooling, and web-based controls, it supports a wide range of mission configurations. Depending on loadout, the system weighs 63–74 pounds. The modernization effort is part of the Marine Corps Wideband Satellite – Expeditionary (MCWS-X) program, which L3Harris has supported since 2020. MCWS-X provides resilient, high-bandwidth connectivity for small, dispersed units, supporting voice, data, and video transmissions across diverse environments.
