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Cubic To Provide Datalink For ASTOR (Oct. 17)
SAN DIEGO---Cubic Defense Systems, a subsidiary of San Diego-based Cubic Corporation, has been awarded a $46 million contract to incorporate its sophisticated broadcast data link technology into the United Kingdom's Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) system.
As a subcontractor to Raytheon Systems Ltd., Cubic will provide a narrowband data link subsystem for ASTOR -- an airborne surveillance system that will provide detailed information about a force's infrastructure and troop movements below.
Raytheon leads the consortium that will develop ASTOR. Cubic and its U.K. partner, Ultra Electronics, will provide air data terminals, ground data terminals, spares and 10 years of support. The radar system will be installed on Global Express jets, provided by Bombardier, which contain data terminals on board that relay information to ground stations.
"This win is significant for Cubic, as it opens new markets for the Cubic-designed data link,'' said Bruce Roberts, Cubic Defense Systems president. "The British Forces' use of Cubic's narrowband data link offers a unique opportunity for interoperability between existing and emerging U.K. and U.S. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets,'' he added.
The ASTOR data link -- called the Narrowband Data Link Subsystem (NDLS) -- is a spin-off from the Surveillance and Control Data Link (SCDL) that Cubic developed for Joint Surveillance Attack Radar System (Joint STARS). The SCDL is considered the best anti-jam data link in the world.
For ASTOR, the NDLS will enable transfer of radar sensor data from Global Express aircraft to ground stations. It is a secure all-weather data link for tactical systems relaying mission-critical command, control and sensor data, allowing air and ground commanders to look behind enemy lines.
In Joint STARS, the SCDL transmits secure radar images and moving target indications from Northrop Grumman's E8-C aircraft to multiple ground stations built by Motorola.
The broadcast links for Joint STARS and ASTOR are interoperable and can operate in a complex and hostile environment without interference. The link's performance and reliability have been demonstrated through 58 failure-free missions during Operation Desert Storm and more than 100 successful missions in Bosnia.
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Cubic Awarded $46 Million for ASTOR Program