The U.S. Navy ordered more than 8000 AN/ARC-210(v) airborne radios from Collins Aerospace via a recent $294 million contract. The versatile software-defined radios (SDRs) operate across military VHF bands from 30 to 174 MHz, military UHF bands from 225 to 512 MHz, and UHF homeland security and public safety bands from 806 to 941 MHz. Channel bandwidths can be set for 5, 8, 12.5, 25, and 33 MHz as well as for software-defined channel bandwidths. The VHF/UHF SDRs are compatible with amplitude-modulated (AM), frequency-modulated (FM), and satellite-communications (satcom) waveforms.
The SDRs can be modified in the field by means of programming with the firm’s Memory Loader/Verifier software. They are capable of line-of-sight (LOS) data transfer rates to 80 kb/s and feature integrated anti-jamming capabilities for security. The radios communication with other avionics electronic systems using the MIL-STD-1553 data bus (see the figure).
Collins Aerospace, which is part of Raytheon Technologies Corp. will manufacture the receiver/transmitter (RT) radios in Cedar Rapids, IA, which work expected to conclude on the contract in September 2024. The work is being performed as part of a modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) contract (number N0042118D0004). The contract covers 8,085 AN/ARC-210(v) radios for over 400 strategic and tactical airborne, seaborne, and land-based fixed and mobile platforms for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and other government agencies. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, MD, is the contracting activity.