Raytheon has been awarded a contract for the certification and testing of an upgrade to the AN/ARC-231 Multi-Mode Communications System by the US Army, the company announced on 12 August. The contract is valued at $36 million.
The system upgrade is designed to achieve maximum security for data and voice communication for over 7,000 fixed wing, rotary and unmanned army platforms such as Gray Eagles, Chinooks, Black Hawks and Apaches.
The army awarded the contract after receiving the last of 18 Engineering Development Models (EDM).
The AN/ARC-231 is a VHF/UHF multi-band tactical communications system capable of meeting emerging communications needs through software upgrades. It provides secure, internationally compatible and interoperable voice and data links, and is compatible with the emerging Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) waveform as well as legacy air-to-air and air-to-ground Line of Sight and SATCOM communication requirements.
Scott Whatmough, vice president, integrated communications systems, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, said: ‘The completion of EDM deliveries and the start of certification testing mark significant milestones for the AN/ARC-231 upgrade programme.
‘These are critical steps in the process of ensuring army aviators have the secure communications capabilities they need to accomplish their missions in today's rapidly evolving threat environment.’
The AN/ARC-231 test will be conducted at the army’s Software Engineering Directorate laboratory in Huntsville, Alabama and the Raytheon's Fort Wayne facility in Indiana. It will receive a full cryptographic certification for the upgraded system after the tests are complete.
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