OREANDA-NEWS.  The National Security Agency has certified Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) KG-350 Ethernet encryption system to protect network communications for sensitive information up to Top Secret/SCI classification. The Type 1 certification gives Raytheon authorization to sell the groundbreaking KG-350 encryptor to commercial, military and government customers immediately.

The KG-350 expands Raytheon's leadership in the Layer 2 Ethernet encryption market, offering lower latency and higher throughput than current encryption technology.

"Raytheon's KG-350 provides the world's fastest, highest-capacity networking system for secure communications," said John Droge, director of Raytheon Secure Information Systems. "Layer 2 encryption preserves bandwidth – increasing information throughput up to 45 percent – and enables uninterrupted real-time data, voice and video."

The KG-350 encryptor is ruggedized for tactical vehicle use and fixed-site applications, and is the first to conform to the NSA's new Ethernet Security Specification (ESS) standard.

"The advantage of ESS compliance is that ESS encryptors are interoperable with one another, which means keeping pace with growing networking needs simply requires adding new encryptors rather than replacing entire networks," Droge said.

To accommodate the broadest range of current and future network requirements, the KG-350 operates in three speeds — 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps and 10 Gbps. A single KG-350 unit can ensure uninterrupted communications across far larger networks than previous technology in point-to-point, mesh and point-to-multi-point environments.

"As network data speeds keep increasing, so does the need for lower latency networking systems," said Paul Pittelli, NSA Deputy Director, Trusted Engineering Solutions. "That's where Layer 2 encryption comes in – it allows network administrators to achieve higher and higher degrees of throughput while efficiently protecting user data."

With the NSA's certification of its Layer 2 Ethernet encryptors, Raytheon has begun filling its backlog of product orders. The KG-350 is available for sale through Government IDIQ contracts or via direct purchase from Raytheon.