Army National Guard chooses tactical RF downlink from Cobham for fleet of UH-72 helicopters

CARLSBAD, Calif., 3 April 2012. Officials of the U.S. Army National Guard needed RF downlink technology for the Guard's fleet of Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota helicopters. They found their solution from the Cobham plc Tactical Communications and Surveillance segment in Carlsbad, Calif.

Cobham is providing the Army National Guard with an RF downlink package that includes a dual-channel high-resolution video data link with frequency modulation (FM) and coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (COFDM) links, which enable Guardsmen on the ground to use handheld receivers to see what the helicopter's camera is viewing with its onboard sensors.

The RF downlink system is part of a security and support mission equipment package designed to enhance the National Guard's law-enforcement and state-response capabilities. The Cobham RF downlink has a range as far as 30 miles, and can help National Guard members read details of a license plate from a mile away, Cobham officials say.

The Army National Guard is receiving 108 UH-72 upgraded Lakota helicopters as part of this security and support program and will use them to support law enforcement search and rescue, homeland defense, drug interdiction, and border patrol.

"Only two days after receiving updated helicopters, the Louisiana National Guard used the system in a counter-drug operation," says Steve Schaefer, vice president of Cobham Tactical Communications and Surveillance. "We provide the crucial link between the ground and air, helping increase the safety of the agents on the ground and enabling forces to stay one step ahead of dangerous and tense situations."

For more information contact Cobham Tactical Communications and Surveillance online at www.cobham.com.

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