Lockheed Martin to provide anti-jamming payload for Japan’s new SATCOM

Japan is modernising its orbital capabilities with a new SATCOM system and LEO imaging constellation. Lockheed Martin and Mitsubishi Electric are partnering on the development, including an anti-jamming payload for the SATCOM effort.

By Sam Cranny-Evans, editor of Calibre Defence, published on March 6, 2026. 

Lockheed Martin has been selected to provide an anti-jamming capability for Japan’s next generation SATCOM. According to a March 3 press release, Lockheed will “provide a robust anti-jamming payload for Japan’s Next-Generation Defense Satellite Communication System.” 

The contract for the new satellite was awarded to Mitsubishi Electric on February 6, and will result in a geostationary orbit satellite to replace the Kirameki-2 satellite. It is likely to be a multi-band satellite and will include digital beam forming. This should enable it to move between frequencies in response to jamming or demand. 

Valued at $823.33 million (€757.67 million), the contract is due to be delivered by 2030. Lockheed will develop the anti-jamming payload in the US before it is shipped to Japan for testing and integration. The payload will also support interoperability with partners, according to Lockheed.

Prior to this, on February 20, Mitsubishi announced that it had received a contract for low earth orbit reconnaissance satellites. Working with six other companies in a joint venture, they will build, deploy and operate the satellites as a private initiative. The satellites will provide stable, high-frequency satellite imagery in response to the needs of the Japan MoD, the release states.

So, Japan is clearly revamping its orbital enablers to give it a better understanding and resilience in the coming decades. The delivery timeframes are ambitious, and building reliance on space-layers can bring fragility as well as strength. 

Calibre comment: SATCOM – a necessary but vulnerable enabler

Satellite Communication systems (SATCOM) are a wonderful example of the balance inherent to modern defence technology. The capability they bring – over the horizon, high-bandwidth communications – can unlock a range of options in combat. If you want to pass targeting data about an adversary ship from one end of a country to a missile battery at the other, SATCOM is the way. But with that capability comes fragility. Many modern concepts of operations essentially rest on the ability to pass data between things, via satellites. This means that there is a considerable incentive for an adversary to target the infrastructure on the ground and satellites.

Russia achieved considerable effects against Ukraine’s SATCOM infrastructure with a cyber payload. It was not activated until the invasion began in 2022, and brought modems down across Europe. Both Russia and China have developed anti-satellite weapons. This includes jamming systems like the Russian Tirada-2S, kinetic missiles such as those fired by the S-500, and on-orbit capabilities. Altogether, this means that jam-resistant payloads such as that provided by Lockheed Martin for this project are essential. However, it is important to remember that the more space is used to enable modern capabilities, the higher the incentive for an adversary to take drastic action against those enablers. 

If you would like to read more about Japan’s procurements and Lockheed’s involvement, check the links below: 

• Homeland defence: Japan’s new radar enters crucial testing phase 
• Japan mulls Type-12 missile deployment to Kyushu as part of counter strike doctrine 
• US approves support for Japan’s hypersonic missile project – Calibre Defence# 

The lead image shows a concept of a satellite. Credit: Lockheed Martin.