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L-3 Awarded Full-Rate Production Contract for U.S. Navy’s CDL Hawklink Program

20 September , 2012

 

 

L-3 Communications announced today that its Communication Systems-West (CS-West) division was selected for the 2012 to 2017 full-rate production contract of CDL Hawklink valued at $181 million, with $28 million to be awarded this year. L-3 is the current prime contractor for the program, and this award follows a prior initial production contract award in June 2009 of $141 million.

L-3’s Ku-Band CDL Hawklink system is a high-speed digital data link that transmits tactical video, radar and acoustic sensor data from the U.S. Navy’s MH-60 Romeo Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System helicopter to its host surface ships. Comprising the AN/ARQ-59 airborne terminal and the AN/SRQ-4 shipboard terminal, the system will double the Hawklink’s current data rates for the MH-60R at ranges over 100 nautical miles and will support a full range of surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and recovery missions. Additionally, the system is suitable for a variety of platforms, providing extended range, high data rates and proven operational reliability.

“The U.S. Navy’s helicopters just became even more capable with the delivery of the L-3 CDL Hawklink airborne and shipboard data link terminals,” said Susan Opp, president of L-3’s Communication Systems Group. “We are proud of our team; they worked very hard to deliver what we believe to be the most capable wideband data link ever employed on a helicopter.”

With the delivery of the 100th MH-60R to the Fleet in 2011, the introduction of L-3’s Ku-Band CDL Hawklink system will allow the Romeo to share all the increased sensor capability quickly, seamlessly and fully encrypted with warfare commands.