General Dynamics to supply cryptographic technologies for battlefield networks

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., 11 May 2008.General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, has been awarded a $6.5 million contract option to produce Engineering Design Models of the Advanced Cryptographic Module (ACM) for the U.S. Army's Programmable Objective Encryption Technologies (POET) program, following a recent successful Critical Design Review.

This option modifies a contract initially awarded in August 2006 and brings the total contract value to $11.5 million. With the critical design review phase completed, the program is on schedule to deliver the embedded communications capability.

The POET program is aligned with the National Security Agency's Cryptographic Modernization Initiative, and will enable high data-rate, multilevel security for voice, video, data, and imagery from a variety of military equipment and networks including U.S. Navy multiband terminals, U.S. Air Force advanced broadband terminals and U.S. Army High Capacity Communications Capability terminals. The Engineering Design Models are used to demonstrate a subset of cryptographic functions and features.