NATO and the Republic of Korea (ROK) will be receiving aircraft communications support using secure, anti-jam, software-defined-radio (SDR) technology from BAE Systems. Fueled by multiple contracts totaling $111 million, BAE will develop and manufacture SDRs compliant with second-generation, anti-jam, tactical, ultra-high-frequency radio for NATO (SATURN) waveforms and communications signals.
As part of ROK’s national communications modernization strategy, airborne SDRs will employ SATURN’s fast-frequency-hopping signals for secure and interoperable command and control communications for both rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft (see image above).
Dave Logan, vice-president and general manager of C4ISRS at BAE Systems, explained, “In today’s complex and contested battlefields, superiority on the ground, in the air, and at sea is mission-critical.”
He added, “This tailored solution for the Republic of Korea will equip its forces with state-of-the-art, secure, and modern communications for a variety of tactical missions while allowing them to maintain interoperability with the U.S. and coalition partners.”
BAE has more than 100,000 radios deployed globally, and its ARC-232A SDR is a SATURN-capable design that's small, light in weight, and readily upgradable to counter changing threats and interference. The multiple-band SDRs, which will be produced at BAE’s Fort Wayne, Ind., facility, offer secure anti-jam voice, data imagery transmission, and network-capable communications. They will be supplied to Korean manufacturer LIG Nex1 for final build, testing, and aircraft integration.