ITT Exelis has been awarded an order from the U.S. Army valued at $56 million to provide power amplifiers and vehicular adapters for use with existing radios operated by the U.S. Army and the National Guard.

The Vehicular Amplifier Adapter (VAA) serves as an interface between the SINCGARS (Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System) radio and the vehicular power source; the Radio Frequency Power Amplifiers (RFPA) amplifies a lower-power radio signal to extend the range of the signal.

SINCGARS provides secure VHF voice and data communications capability to tactical units across the U.S. Army. With more than 570,000 radios delivered to date to the United States and many of its allies, SINCGARS is the most prolific tactical radio system in the world.

“Through the delivery of ancillary items such as these, along with technology upgrades to the existing fleet of radios, SINCGARS will continue to meet the Army’s fielding plan for the next 15 to 20 years. In today’s challenging environment, this new and modern fleet of radios with a well-defined roadmap of enhancements and improvements provides the backbone of a very capable communications network, both now and in the future,” said Bob Durbin, Acting Vice President and General Manager of the Communications and Force Protection Systems business area.

Exelis has developed, manufactured and supported six generations of continually improved SINCGARS radios since the first radio was delivered in 1988. Since then, the company has delivered enhancements in functionality and software while reducing size, weight and power requirements, enabling SINCGARS to meet emerging battlefield demands.

The latest technology upgrade for the radio is the development of SideHat, an attachable appliqué designed to host the Exelis-developed Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) on a second channel. Coupling SideHat with the installed base of SINCGARS in the U.S. Army provides an efficient and cost-effective mechanism for distributing SRW across the battlefield.

Furthermore, ITT Exelis has been awarded an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract from the U.S. Army to provide Generation 3 aviation night vision systems, spare parts and accessories. The contract allows Exelis to compete for deliveries of the AN/AVS-6 aviator night vision goggle and spare aviation image intensifiers during a five year period. The contract is valued at up to $217.5 million.

“Generation 3 image intensification technology provides aviators the world’s most advanced night vision capability. We take great pride in each AN/AVS 6 Night Vision Goggle we make to ensure unprecedented resolution, reliability, and performance – the operational own the night difference aviators depend on,” said Nick Bobay, Vice President and General Manager of the Exelis Night Vision business area.

The Generation 3 AN/AVS-6 aviator night vision system provides the operator with optimum resolution, reliability and performance that enables aviators to conduct and complete night operations during the darkest nights of the year. The AN/AVS-6 is equipped with an auto-gated Gen 3 Pinnacle image intensifier that provides outstanding performance in high-light areas.