Raytheon encryption devices provide Navy tactical radios with next-gen safeguards
NewsDecember 27, 2016
MARLBOROUGH, Massachusetts. Raytheon engineers will provide the U.S. Navy with next-generation encryption devices to protect military tactical data transmissions for air, surface, subsurface, and ground assets under a $32 million production contract.
The device, dubbed the Link Level Communication Security 7M encryptor (LLC 7M), provides increased security for the Link 22 tactical radio system used by the U.S. military and its allies.
The LLC 7M has National Security Agency's only Type 1 certification for protection of information classified up to the Secret level in the Link 22 environment. Link 22 replaces the older Link 11 radio system, and is interoperable with the current Link 16 system, enabling longer-distance, beyond-line-of-sight communications without reliance on satellites or persistent airborne relay.
"With the signing of the LLC 7M production contract, and its ability to seamlessly integrate with Link 16, the Link 22 system is now ready for prime time," says Chuck Schwartz, project manager for U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command's (SPAWAR's) NILE project office. "We expect the system to eventually be adopted by more than 30 allied nations."
The device is being developed under contract with SPAWAR as part of the NATO Improved Link Eleven, or NILE project, which consists of international partners Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
"The LLC 7M flexible platform is ruggedized and form-factored for easy installation, enabling Raytheon to support additional capabilities, design enhancements and expanded use cases in the future," says John Droge, director of Secure Information Systems at Raytheon's Space and Airborne Systems. "LLC 7M is available to U.S. military operators and under Foreign Military Sales through the SPAWAR's Indefinite Delivery Requirements contract vehicle."
Raytheon's $32 million contract includes a five-year base performance period with an additional five-year option. If exercised, the option could potentially bring the cumulative value of the contract to $63 million.
