Raytheon has been awarded $51 million to build more airborne radios and continue to modernize future radios for the U.S. Army. The modernization effort includes Phase 3 of the Mobile User Objective Service/Cryptographic Modernization (MUOS/CM) Upgrade Program, which significantly increases satellite capacity for soldiers.

MUOS replaces the aging constellation of Ultra High Frequency Follow-On communications satellites.

The Phase 3 software upgrade allows Raytheon to complete MUOS/CM design tasks and prepare for Phase 4 qualification testing in 2013. Full-rate production is planned for 2015, making this the first MUOS airborne radio available.

The MUOS/CM Upgrade will be a new product, known as the RT-1987. It will be able to accept new waveforms ported from the Department of Defense's Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) information repository.

"The ARC-231 radio system has proven to be a very capable, high performing, multi-function radio set that adapts to changing application requirements with only software upgrades," said David Patton, ARC-231 senior program manager in Raytheon's Network Centric Systems business.

"Because the equipment upgrades are backward compatible with existing equipment installations, minimal platform changes are required. This approach simplifies aircraft integration tasks and reduces upgrade costs," Patton added.

Raytheon has sold more than 6,000 ARC-231 radios for use on rotary and fixed-wing, manned and unmanned aircraft, and for use on special ground mobile and seaborne applications.

It provides the common Line of Sight communications and Demand Assignment Multiple Access Integrated Waveform (DAMA IW) used for satellite communications.

Users of earlier radio configurations may contact Raytheon for a software upgrade that adds DAMA IW communications, which triples the number of DAMA satellite channels available.

Raytheon provides a total VHF/UHF Line of Sight and UHF SATCOM airborne and ground communications solution with ARC-231 and AN/PSC-5C/D Radio Sets.

The company is applying internal investments that are focused on extending the usage of these products beyond the next two decades.

New features are expected to include JTRS SCA compliance, extended frequency, wide bandwidth and high-speed tuning.