Rockwell Collins supports first flight of the U.S. Navy X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System carrier demonstration program

Rockwell Collins announced today that its ARC-210 radios provided critical voice communications in support of the historic first flight of the U.S. Navy/Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) on Feb. 4 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Rockwell Collins is a contractor to Northrop Grumman under the U.S. Navy UCAS Demonstration (UCAS-D) program.

"We congratulate the U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman on the successful first flight of the X-47B," said David Vos, senior director of unmanned airborne systems and control technologies for Rockwell Collins. "By equipping the X-47B with Rockwell Collins' proven communication systems, this aircraft system is well-positioned to provide immediate, real-time, secure communications for the U.S. Navy UCAS-D program."

The X-47B will be the first tailless unmanned aircraft to autonomously operate from an aircraft carrier. The flight test program includes catapult launches and arrested landings from the carrier, autonomous carrier control area operations and precise movement of the aircraft on the flight deck. The first carrier landing and subsequent sea trials are planned for 2013. Northrop Grumman is under contract with the U.S. Navy to provide two aircraft for the demonstration and technology maturation activities.

In the UCAS-D program, the ARC-210 is utilized for voice communication for Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) controllers and air traffic control along with back-up data link communication from the ground station to the X-47B. It provides two-way, multi-mode voice and data communications over a 30 to 512 MHz frequency range. It also includes embedded Ultra High Frequency (UHF) and Very High Frequency (VHF) anti-jam waveforms and other data link and secure communication features which provide the user with total battlefield interoperability and high-performance capabilities in the transfer of data, voice and imagery.

With more than 30,000 radios fielded, the ARC-210 is installed on more than 180 platforms worldwide and is operating in more than 40 countries. Domestically, ARC-210s are installed on a wide range of aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial systems across all the U.S. military services and the U.S. Coast Guard.