Navy readies five-year contract to Rockwell Collins for high-power VHF-UHF radio transceivers
CORONA, Calif. – U.S. Navy radio communications experts are making plans to upgrade existing VHF-UHF radios with 721S fixed-site VHF-UHF radio transceivers from Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Officials of the Naval Sea Systems Command Corona Division in Corona, Calif., announced their intention Tuesday to buy commercial 721S radios from Rockwell Collins for to replace existing UHF/VHF radios in the field that are obsolete and cannot be upgraded to remain relevant with current and future technologies.
The 721S high-power AM/FM VHF-UHF radio transceiver provides long-range communications that operators can optimize for RF-congested operational conditions. These radios have an optional full-color display and software-definable touchscreen on its removable radio controller unit provides radio control, status, and voice audio and keying connections.
The Navy will award a contract to Rockwell Collins sole-source because the radios and services that the Navy needs are available from only one known responsible source, which is Rockwell Collins, Navy officials say.
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The upcoming agreement with Rockwell Collins will be a firm fixed-price indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with a five-year ordering period. The value of this contract has yet to be negotiated.
The 721S radio transceiver is configurable to support several voice and data operating modes in AM and FM over frequencies from 30 to 512 MHz. The system has Ethernet-based command and control, and industry-standard severe cosite operation.
The radio operates in fixed-frequency or frequency-hopping modes, and one radio control unit can manage several transceivers for monitor and control voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), voice audio, and transmitter PTT keying.
Software-defined radio (SDR) implementation and digital signal processors (DSPs) enable simplified customization and future upgrades, and remote control is available via Ethernet or optional RS-422 interfaces.
The radio has 100 Watts of transmit power with selectable RF output power turndown. Its receiver and transmitter sections have built-in test for fault detection and isolation. It has 970 user-programmable mode and frequency presets, built-in loudspeaker, handset, headset, and microphone interfaces.
More information on this upcoming contract to Rockwell Collins is online at https://www.fbo.gov/notices/93ace58c26fb01c4d8b380d0c925fa7b.
For more information contact Rockwell Collins online at www.rockwellcollins.com, or the Naval Surface Warfare Center Corona Division at www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NSWC-Corona.
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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.
