Chinook helicopter

Exelis has secured a contract to supply its ARC-201D Single channel ground and airborne radio system (SINCGARS) to the US Army.

Under the terms of $10.9m contract, the company will supply an undisclosed number of ARC-201D radios for installation in the army’s UH-60M Black Hawk and CH-47F Chinook multi-mission helicopters.

The contract was awarded by the US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).

Exelis Night Vision & Communications Solutions division president Nick Bobay said: "With nearly 600,000 SINCGARS delivered to the army to date, the ARC-201D easily integrates into the army’s critical network on the battlefield providing proven, robust and secure communications for warfighters.’"

The ARC-201D represents the primary Army Aviation voice communications radio and the only qualified SINCGARS capable airborne radio for the two helicopters.

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"The ARC-201D easily integrates into the army’s critical network on the battlefield, providing proven, robust and secure communications."

Claimed to be a reliable, combat-proven voice and data battlespace communications system with networking capabilities, the ARC-201 tactical airborne radio subsystem provides secure, anti-jam voice and data communication in the 30MHz to 88MHz VHF-FM range.

Backwards compatible with TACFIRE and 16K data modes, the SINCGARS system improvement programme (SIP) airborne radio is integrated with a COMSEC and data rate adapter, which combines three line replaceable units (LRUs) into one, thereby reducing overall weight of the aircraft.

Additional features include improved error correction, enhanced data modes (EDMs), including packet data, more flexible remote control and GPS compatibility, which together enable the radio to assume an array of new roles supporting future digital battlefield requirements.

Manufacturing work under the contract will be carried out at the company’s facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, US, while delivery schedule remain undisclosed.


Image: US Army CH-47 Chinook sling-loads a Humvee in Bagram, Afghanistan. Photo: courtesy of US Army.

Defence Technology