Raytheon to provide cyber security encryption for U.S. and allied tactical data links
SAN DIEGO, 21 Sept. 2016.Cyber security experts from the Raytheon Co. will provide military tactical data linkencryption equipment the U.S. and several allied countries under terms of a $32.8 million contract announced Monday.
Officials of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) in San Diego are asking the Raytheon Secure Information Systems segment in El Segundo, Calif., to build and maintain NATO Improved Link Eleven (NILE)/Link 22 Modernized Link Level COMSEC (LLC 7M).
The NILE LLC 7M is a controlled cryptographic system for aircraft, surface ships, submarines, and mobile land-based applications. Users will be military forces of the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. NILE LLC 7M is certified for military use by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA).
The NILE LLC 7M communications security (COMSEC) provides encryption to foil enemy attempts to intercept sensitive U.S. communications over NATO Improved Link Eleven (NILE)/Link 22 tactical data links.
Link 22 seeks to replace the Link 11 as a U.S. and allied tactical data link that operates over HF and UHF radio frequencies. A tactical data link enables military forces to transmit, relay, and receive voice and data information to help coordinate operations.
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Tactical data links are integrated through gateways, translators, and correlators to provide military forces with a common air, land, and sea common tactical picture.
Link 22 seeks to remove inherent limitations of Link 11, and improve Allied interoperability; complement Link 16 tactical data link capabilities; add high-speed RF waveforms, and enhance warfighting capabilities.
The contract to Raytheon includes NILE LLC 7M production, NILE LLC 7M production test sets, NILE LLC 7M sustainment, and human engineering and logistics support. The contract includes a five-year base period and a five-year option period that cold increase the contract's value to $63.1 million.
On this contract Raytheon will do the work in El Segundo, Calif., and should be finished by September 2021. For more information contact Raytheon Secure Information Systems online at www.raytheon.com, or SPAWAR at www.spawar.navy.mil.
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John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
