Boeing and Rohde & Schwarz sign deal to install R&S SDAR on H-47s

Boeing has reached an agreement with Rohde & Schwarz to integrate the latest advanced R&S software-defined airborne radio (SDAR) on H-47 Chinook helicopter flight systems.

Under the deal, Rohde & Schwarz will provide its airborne radios for Boeing’s H-47 Chinook aircraft for the first time.

The new R&S SDAR solution is expected to provide enhanced communications capabilities to the H-47 Chinook operators according to Boeing.

Boeing Germany vertical lift programmes director Michael Hostetter said: “This is yet another example of how we can accommodate unique customer requirements.

“Customers will enjoy tailorable encryption, frequency hopping, agility, and excellent voice and data connectivity advantages compared to conventional radios.”

Since 2006, Rohde & Schwarz has been supplying its products to Boeing in the US.

With the latest agreement, Rohde & Schwarz will boost its existing supplier footprint in Germany, where Boeing works with more than 100 suppliers carrying out business worth $1.3bn every year.

Rohde & Schwarz market segment avionics vice-president Stefan Pleyer said: “We are delighted that we are establishing this partnership with Boeing, a partnership that will put the next generation of software-defined airborne radios on Chinook helicopters.”

To date, Boeing has delivered more than 900 H-47 Chinooks that are currently either on order or in operation across 20 countries, including eight Nato nations, Canada, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, the UK, and the US.

This enables enhanced interoperability between the Nato nations during joint training and deployment operations across the world.