WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force has awarded ViaSat Inc. with a $13,152,398 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for Mini Crypto, the Department of Defense announced on Monday.
Mini Crypto is a small cryptographic module that can be embedded in many communication devices. The module can be used to protect data and authenticate users of communication devices. Mini Crypto is small, low power, and self-contained. Under the contract, ViaSat will be tasked for both engineering and manufacturing the module, with options for low-rate and full-rate production, and related support fuctions.
Air Force officials voiced the need for such devices in 2014, issuing a request for proposals for the Mini Crypto program in April 2014.
"Without a cryptographic solution in these tactical devices, communications may become increasingly vulnerable to compromise and exploitation," the request read. "Additionally, analysis showed an embeddable solution does not exist to address the full set of security needs."
Work on the Mini Crypto will be performed in California, and is expected to be completed by October 2020.
