The UFO constellation is the narrowband (5 kHz and 25 kHz channels) military SATCOM system that achieved Initial Operational Capability in November 1993 and Full Operational Capability in February 2000. A UFO F11 satellite was launched in December 2003 to be a gap filler between UFO and MUOS. The UHF SATCOM constellation consists of six UFO satellites,with legacy payloads on all MUOS satellites, and other residual satellites.

During development and fielding of the MUOS advanced capability, the legacy UHF constellation has been on station 24/7 supporting the warfighter, and it will continue into the foreseeable future. This is significant since all U.S. military forces and many of our allies rely upon Navy satellites for narrowband communications. More than 60 percent of SATCOM users are supported via the UHF band, and more than 200,000 legacy narrowband SATCOM terminals are in military use. These terminals are programmed in more than 50 unique configurations, and many are designed to be small and portable to be carried deep into theaters of operation.

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The MUOS program initially augments the UFO capability and will replace it over time as UFO satellites degrade. MUOS has four operational satellites (plus one on-orbit spare) in geosynchronous orbit that provide worldwide coverage, a terrestrial control and network management system that provides WCDMA capability, and the new WCDMA waveform for user terminals. Terminals are being developed by other Programs of Record for deployment and use by all the military services. With 10 times more capacity than the legacy system that it is replacing, the MUOS system provides additional bandwidth, improving connectivity and data-sharing capability for the warfighters.