Boeing has been awarded a contract for delivery of additional combat survivor evader locator (CSEL) radios to the US Air Force (USAF).
Under the terms of the $24m contract, the company will supply an additional 2,550 CSEL radios, which are critical to the rescue of downed pilots and other warfighters in dangerous environments.
Boeing CSEL programme manager Steve Capps said the CSEL radios have proven to be instrumental in location of isolated personnel and getting them out of danger.
"Wherever they fight, our forces can depend on CSEL for secure satellite communications, line-of-sight voice connectivity, global position and navigation information, and beacon functions," Capps said.
In addition to this, the company received separate contracts to enhance the capabilities and information security of the global CSEL base-station network.
Dubbed the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) Program of Record for Joint Search and Rescue, the CSEL is a fully qualified, next-generation survival radio system designed to support survival, evasion and isolated personnel (IP) recovery missions in near real-time, anywhere in the world.
Equipped with hand-held radios, over-the-horizon relays and other ground and user equipment, the multifunction system simplifies rescue operations by delivering accurate geo-positioning information and secure line-of-sight, two-way data communications capabilities to the joint personnel recovery centres (JPRC) and recovery forces.
Boeing has to date delivered more than 55,000 CSEL radios to all three branches of the DoD, including the Army, Navy and Air Force, since the radios were authorised for use in theatre in 2005.
Deliveries under the contract are scheduled to take place in 2014 and 2015.
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Image: A USAF personnel reads an encrypted text message on a CSEL radio during a training exercise in US. Photo: courtesy of USAFAirman 1st class Justyne Obeldobel/Released.
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