Comms system leveraging open architecture will support USAF airborne command center
NewsOctober 27, 2022
CHARLOTTE, N.C. Collins Aerospace has been tapped by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to develop a modern Common VLF Receiver Increment 2 (CVRi2) communications protocol for the future Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC), a small fleet of aircraft that are being built and equipped for the highest level of government to direct military forces, deliver emergency war orders, and coordinate civil authorities in the case of destruction of ground command-and-control centers.
According to the contract announcement, the 30-month, $42 million contract for initial development will help modernize U.S. Air Force Nuclear Command, Control and Communications (NC3) capability, as it is designed to meet SAOC requirements and will use modern OpenVPX architecture.
The CVRi2 is Open Mission System (OMS) and Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA)-compliant; this open architecture, say Collins Aerospace officials, will enable the U.S. Air Force to own the technical baseline, should support decades of future growth, and will support other airborne and ground platforms that are part of the NC3 capability.
