MELBOURNE, Fla., 25 April 2005. Harris Corp. announced today that it has been awarded a one-year, $7.5 million contract by the U.S. Navy to begin production of the Ku-band data link system, or Common Data Link (CDL) Hawklink, for the MH-60R Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) helicopter.
The CDL Hawklink is a high-speed, air-to- ship, digital data link that transmits tactical, video, radar, acoustic, and other sensor data from MH-60R helicopters to their host surface ships, including Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
Two additional awards totaling more than $60 million are anticipated in the next ten months. The potential value of the program for Harris is $350 million by 2015 if the Navy exercises all its options to support equipment for as many as 350 aircraft and their host surface ships.
Under terms of the Limited Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract, Harris will act as the prime contractor, working with BAE SYSTEMS to begin preparation for production of AN/SRQ-4 (Ku) field change kits for retrofit ships, complete AN/SRQ-4 (Ku) systems for forward-fit ships, and provide AN/ARQ-58 Radio Terminal Sets for MH-60 aircraft.
This award is the culmination of a multi-year development effort between the Navy, Harris and BAE SYSTEMS to prove the feasibility of using TCDL for the LAMPS application. As teammates during the development effort, Harris and BAE SYSTEMS successfully demonstrated an operational system consisting of an airborne terminal and shipboard terminal.
The MH-60R LAMPS helicopter will provide battle group protection and add significant capability during coastal, littoral and regional conflicts. The AN/ARQ-58 CDL Hawklink will replace existing C-band AN/ARQ-44 data links on LAMPS helicopters and replace the existing C-band AN/SRQ-4 link on surface ships with the AN/SRQ-4 (Ku). Current LAMPS-equipped support ships include the DDG 51, FFG 7, DD 963 and CG 47.
CDL Hawklink, which can transmit over distances greater than 100 nautical miles at data rates exceeding 21 megabits per second, will eliminate interference with Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC); improve fleet interoperable communications; improve bandwidth capability of the LAMPS system; and facilitate transition to a network-centric architecture as the baseline for fleet CDL interoperability.
"We are very pleased to be entering the production phase of the CDL Hawklink program," said Dan Pearson, president of the Department of Defense (DoD) Programs business unit of Harris' Government Communications Systems Division (GCSD). "The CDL Hawklink will provide the Navy with a critical enabler for transitioning to a network-centric architecture for advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) networking. We look forward to continuing the close working relationship established with the Navy and BAE SYSTEMS during the design and development phase."
Harris GCSD, one of four divisions within Harris Corp., conducts advanced research studies, develops prototypes, and produces and supports state-of-the-art, assured communications solutions and information systems that solve the mission-critical challenges of its military and government customers, while serving as the technology base for the company's diverse commercial businesses. Harris, which also provides tactical radio, microwave, and broadcast products and systems, serves customers in more than 150 countries. For more information, see www.harris.com.
