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10 Apr 14. Exelis and other contractors have been awarded a five-year indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract by the U.S. Army Contracting Command to provide radio appliqués capable of running the Army Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW). The contract has a potential ceiling of $988m and also includes five one-year options that can be exercised at the Army’s discretion. The applique will host SRW, a waveform developed by Exelis that operates in the UHF and L-Band frequency ranges and provides an affordable second channel solution to Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems (SINCGARS) vehicular radio installations. The initial Exelis offering on this contract is the SideHat®, a radio specifically developed for the vehicular electromagnetic and physical environment experienced on the battlefield. Exelis, a leader in extending critical networks, designed SideHat to easily integrate with SINCGARS, the primary tactical communications backbone for the U.S. Army with nearly 600,000 fielded. SINCGARS with SideHat and SRW provides a system solution with up to four-channels (2 SRW and 2 VHF). It provides dismounted soldiers the ability to communicate both voice and data to mounted soldiers in vehicles within a larger network.
“The SRW Applique will provide the U.S. Army with a cost effective means to add a robust waveform for battlefield communications,” said Nick Bobay, president of the Exelis Night Vision and Communications Solutions division. “As the developer of SRW and the manufacturer of an installed base of nearly 600,000 Army radios, we have the capability to deliver both the performance and value expected from fielding the SRW Applique.”
03 Apr 14. Gripen NG flight-tests Skyward-G IRST. The Skyward-G infrared search-and-track (IRST) system was successfully flown on the Saab Gripen NG technology demonstrator aircraft for the first time on 31 March, Saab announced on 4 April 2014. Skyward-G, mounted just ahead of the canopy windscreen, is able to detect heat emissions to track and identify all types of targets, will be one of the new sensors on the Gripen E.
The first flight of Skyward-G, developed by the Air and Space Systems division of Selex ES, produced “very good results”, according to Saab test pilot Hans Einerth. “Multiple targets were detected, tracked, and identified and the system works perfectly as expected,” he said.
(Source: IHS Jane’s)
07 Apr 14. Now available from Link Microtek is a compact RF power amplifier that utilises high-power LDMOS technology to deliver an output of 1kW from an air-cooled 19in. chassis only 5U in height, providing a significant reduction in both size and weight compared with alternative products. Manufactured by US firm Empower RF Systems Inc., the 2162 unit operates over the frequency range 20 to 1000MHz and is particularly suitable for use in military or commercial EMC test applications where high-power CW, AM, FM or pulse signals need to be generated. The 1kW RF performance is guaranteed across the full bandwidth and operating temperature range of -10 to 50degC. The amplifier incorporates comprehensive user interface capabilities, with a touch-screen for local control and an embedded web server that enables the user to carry out remote management and diagnostics simply by connecting the Ethernet port to a LAN or accessing the unit’s IP address via a wireless device.
Protection functions within the built-in control system continuously monitor critical parameters and automatically take any necessary action to avoid damage to the unit. Running Linux as an embedded OS, the control system core supports hardware encryption and includes a non-volatile memory for event recording. The 2162 amplifier offers excellent broadband performance, with gain specified as a minimum of 63dB at the 1dB gain compression point, a maximum input ret