$312M to Install ARC-231 Skyfire Radios in US Army Helicopters (updated)

AH-64D Apache Longbow Raytheon Company received a $312 million, five-year indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract by the U.S. Army’s Communications and Electronics Command to provide AN/ARC-231 Skyfire radio systems for the US Army’s fleet of helicopters. Raytheon will also provide ongoing mission support as part of the contract, which supports the US Army’s MARS (Multiple-band Avionics Radio Suite) program, which aims to add new radio capabilities in the absence of JTRS, and provide Blue Force Tracker capabilities as well. The AN/ARC-231 is a VHF/UHF, line-of-sight, demand-assigned, software-programmable, multiple access radio and satellite communication system. Bottom line? It improves the quality of voice and data radio communications. Designed by Raytheon in Ft. Wayne, IN and manufactured in Largo, FL, the Skyfire is currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan on US Army helicopters, and on US Navy and Air Force aircraft. Skyfire installation is part of the Block II upgrade for the USA’s most modern AH-64D Apache attack helicopters. Over time, Skyfire will replace or substitute for existing ARC-186 and ARC-164 radios in more than 1,100 in CH-47F Chinook, UH-60M Black Hawk, and AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters. See corporate release, also eDefense Online.