Software-defined radios in development to replace SATCOM methods
NewsMarch 28, 2022
FALLS CHURCH, Va. The U.S. Air Force has selected BAE Systems, with support from FlexRadio, to provide software defined radios (SDRs) for its Airborne High Frequency Radio Modernization (AHFRM) program. The contract, which has a value of $176 million, provides a secure alternative to satellite communication methods.
According to BAE Systems officials, the airborne radios are scalable and designed for open architecture applications. The SDRs are designed with the evolving capabilities of modern battlefield threats in mind as a response to the call for an extensible, modernized anti-jam solution.
The AHFRM solution is engineered to maintain over-the-horizon communications while defeating jamming from potential threats in a drop-in compatible radio design that maximizes FlexRadio’s commercial off-the-shelf technology. Its scalability, modularity, and capacity are intended to meet future modernization needs and adjacent operational requirements.
BAE Systems has secure communications solutions installed on a range of military airborne platforms. AHFRM development will take place at BAE Systems’ state-of-the-art facility in Fort Wayne, Ind.
