Rockwell Collins has received a contract from the US Department of Defense (DoD) to modernise the US Air Force (USAF), Navy and Army test ranges.

Under the $21m contract, the company will support the second production lot of the common range integrated instrumentation system (CRIIS).

The CRIIS intends to replace existing advanced range data system (ARDS) and air-to-air range infrastructure (AARI) systems at major US military ranges.

Rockwell Collins stated that the second production lot will help complete range installations and activations at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Edwards AFB, Naval Air Station (NAS), and Patuxent River. It will also be at White Sands Missile Range, Nellis AFB, Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake, and NAS Point Mugu, Rockwell announced.

"With multi-level security and data link capabilities, the F-35 and other fighter aircraft will be able to perform several missions in a single day by transferring connectivity to multiple ranges."

The CRIIS system will support developmental and operational testing with these test ranges, and F-15, F-16, and F/A-18, F-22 and F-35 in live, virtual and constructive test scenarios.

Rockwell Collins communication, navigation and electronic warfare solutions vice-president and general manager Troy Brunk said: “With multi-level security and data link capabilities, the F-35 and other fighter aircraft will be able to perform several missions in a single day by transferring connectivity to multiple ranges versus a traditional test mission, which consists of an exclusive base-to-aircraft data link.

“CRIIS provides much-needed technology to modernise our US military ranges.”

Work set out in the contract will be carried out at Rockwell Collins' facilities in Richardson, Texas, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The CRIIS programme offers an open architecture design to support range flexibility, multiple independent levels of security architecture, and standardisation of interface protocols, including test and training enabling architecture. It also offers software defined radio for waveform and frequency agility and supports synthetic threats and forces.

Image: Rockwell Collins has been awarded a contract to support the second production lot of CRIIS for upgrading Air Force, Navy and Army test ranges. Photo: courtesy of Rockwell Collins.