USAF Air National Guard rescue helicopters equipped with next-gen radios from Rockwell Collins
NewsJanuary 09, 2013
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA. The first installation of ARC-210 Gen5 radios on a U.S. Air Force Air National Guard HH-60G Combat Search And Rescue (CSAR) rotorcraft has been completed, Rockwell Collins announced today. The next-generation radio installation is a major part of the HH60G’s Avionics Communications Suite Upgrade Program, and provides the ability to fully network the helicopter with troops on the ground thanks to the radio’s Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW).
The radio was installed at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, where four ARC210 Gen5 receiver-transmitters were incorporated into the aircraft. According to Bob Haag, General Manager of Communication and Navigation Products at Rockwell Collins, the radios offer a platform for upgrading to new IP-based networking waveforms and connectivity. "With the addition of the next generation, modernized ARC-210 Gen5 radio, the HH-60G platform will have greater communication capabilities that will play a vital role in CSAR, along with being ready for new IP-based networking waveforms and connectivity in the future."
The tactical Software-Defined Radio (SDR) operates at Very/Ultra High Frequencies (V/UHF) in a multi-waveform architecture. The software communications architecture is optimized with a classified Ethernet data interface, embedded programmable next-generation crypto, and an extended frequency range out to 941 MHz. The ARC-210 Gen5 radios are capable of operating SRW in Electronic Warfare (EW) and Combat Communications (CC) modes at the four data rates required by the Joint Tactical Radio System Joint Program Executive Office.
The ARC-210 Gen5 is a form-fit replacement for the existing ARC-210 radio.
