- The Department of War and 10 international partners will provide a $302 million fund for WGS-12.
- The funding will support the acquisition and launch of WGS-12
- WGS-12 is expected to launch no earlier than 2028
The Department of War and the defense ministries of 10 international partners have signed amendment three to the multilateral Wideband Global SATCOM, or WGS-12, memorandum of understanding.
The agreement, announced by the U.S. Space Force Saturday, will bring $302 million in funding from Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland and the United Kingdom for WGS-12 production, operations and support, including launch and on-orbit delivery, ground-system upgrades and mission operations.
What Capabilities Will WGS-12 Provide?
WGS-12 is slated for launch no earlier than 2028 and is designed to provide about twice the operational capability of previous satellites in the constellation. The spacecraft will also build on technology introduced with WGS-11 by carrying a protected tactical satellite communication payload.
The technology enables early operational use of onboard processing for the protected tactical waveform, providing more resilient communications for tactical warfighters operating in environments where jamming may threaten satellite communications.”
“WGS-12 enhances capabilities for U.S. forces and international partners to maintain secure and resilient command and control, no matter where they are in the fleet and field,” said Erin Carper, acting Space Force portfolio acquisition executive for satellite communications and positioning, navigation and timing.
How Has International Participation in the WGS Program Expanded?
The WGS program’s international partnership has grown through a series of bilateral and multilateral agreements. Australia established a separate bilateral arrangement with the United States in 2007 that helped fund WGS-6 and its launch.
Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and New Zealand established the original multilateral WGS partnership in 2012 and contributed to the financing of WGS-9. The Czech Republic and Norway joined the arrangement through a 2017 amendment.
Belgium and the United Kingdom were added in 2022, when the participating nations agreed to help fund ground-system upgrades and launch-related costs associated with WGS-11. Poland joined the multilateral arrangement in 2025, bringing the international partner group supporting the current agreement to 10 nations.
