Elbit Systems wins Personal Locator Beacon contract
Elbit Systems Ltd. announced today that its subsidiary Elisra Electronic Systems Ltd, was awarded a contract valued at approximately euro 5 million to supply hundreds of units of its AN/PRC-684 Personal Locator Beacon (formerly SPLB) to the French MoD, equipping the French Air Force, Army, Navy and DGA (Direction generale de l'armement ). The project will be performed within 24 months.
The French company INEO Defense is the project's prime contractor.
The contract award followed a tender in which Elisra competed with several world-renowned manufacturers of Search and Rescue (SAR) beacons.
The AN/PRC-684 is one of the few PLBSs in the market to offer voice functions. The AN/PRC-684 has an integral voice transceiver featuring multichannel VHF/UHF capabilities, an advanced over-the-horizon Cospas-Sarsat Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) intended for non-combat SAR missions, when training or flying over friendly territory. Carried in the aircrew's emergency vest, the system is designed to provide a variety of modes of activation using an internal G-switch that automatically activates the beacon upon aircrew bailout, while a lanyard-actuated switch provides for additional mechanical and manual activation options.
Source: Elbit Systems