Rockwell Collins network centric capabilities on display at AUSA

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (October 03, 2005) - Rockwell Collins is displaying advanced Network Centric Operation solutions for supporting ground warfighters during the AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition in Washington, DC.  A center-piece of the company's exhibit in booth 2625 at the Washington Convention Center is a fully equipped High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) containing the latest in Situational Awareness, Mobile Command and Control and wide-band communications capabilities for the driver, crew member and commander.

Situational Awareness - A key to keeping soldiers safe is pervasive situational awareness.  Rockwell Collins is demonstrating its Driver's Side System that provides driver's vision enhancement, intra-convoy communication, route mapping, route monitoring, and alerting for wrong turn, vehicle status, and hazard proximity.  The system is capable of downloading mission maps, frequency call lists, planned route and backup route information at the point of departure, and uploading mission debrief and cargo information at the destination.  Other components of the system include the Rockwell Collins Head Tracked Vision System (HTVS) providing 360-degree visible and forward-looking infrared (FLIR) views around the vehicle, the Rockwell Collins Vehicle Computer, and the Rockwell Collins Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR).

Advanced Situational Awareness System - An advanced situational awareness system for the soldier is also installed on the HMMWV. The advanced situational awareness system combines the DAGR and an encrypted communication link. This system provides situational awareness and other tactical battlefield functions including stand-alone voice and navigation capability in a single, low-cost, lightweight system. Situational awareness information includes the user's position as well as other equipped soldiers within the network and user transmitted waypoints. The display can include maps or satellite images with icons representing the positions of local and remote users.  This level of detail provides the warfighter with a clear picture of surrounding friendly forces, reducing the risk of fratricide and enhancing the commander's ability to make real-time tactical decisions.

The system allows connection of peripheral devices such as Laser Range Finders (LRFs) or ruggedized personal computers (PCs).  The LRF waypoint information can be designated as friend or foe, annotated and sent to other members of the network.  PC functions allow information within the network to be distributed to Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2)/Blue Force Tracking (BFT) systems via the Joint Variable Message Format (JVMF) and long range transmission using internet protocol (IP).  Other sensor related information can be easily time-tagged, geo-referenced and distributed over the net to enable the soldier as a sensor.  When a receiver in the network is connected to a PC, time-based position information can be recorded on the PC and played back later on map overlays, enabling new dimensions in mission debriefs.

Mobile Command and Control - The Rockwell Collins HMMWV display is demonstrating a four station Command and Control System using a scalable line of ground vehicle computer products and displays.  Operating on the vehicle is the latest addition to the Rockwell Collins Integrated Processing Center family of solutions, the IPC-8600 Computer.  Also shown is the four blade mid-range Net-centric Computing System with integrated network router.  These systems are capable of hosting high-speed Intel and SPARC processor blades and are compatible with the U.S. Army Battle Command System application suite.  Both products have completely sealed rugged conduction cooled chassis providing protection against vehicle shock, vibration, dust, sand, water and salt fog in an easy to remove small form factor.  At the high end, Rockwell Collins is proud to present the latest models of the Future Combat Systems Integrated Computer System.

Integral to the Command and Control System is the Rockwell Collins line of rugged Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays (AMLCD).  Available in different sizes, these displays feature sealed Mil-spec ruggedness, daylight readability, Night Vision Imaging System compatibility and convection cooling, along with touch screen and bezel key options.

Networked Communications - All on-board computing resources and radio assets are connected on the Rockwell Collins HMMWV.  Both driver and commander get near-real-time updates and information from individual communications systems connected to upper echelon data networks.  Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Cluster 1 and Cluster 5 re-programmable, multi-channel radios are installed to provide connectivity with fielded legacy radios and other Software Communications Architecture (SCA) compliant systems.  Satellite communications (SATCOM) is also possible using the Rockwell Collins Exciter Modem Module (REMM).

Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) is a worldwide leader in the design, production, and support of communication and aviation electronics for commercial and government customers. The company's 17,000 employees in 27 countries deliver industry-leading communication, navigation, surveillance, display, flight control, in-flight entertainment, information management, and maintenance, training and simulation solutions. Additional information is available at www.rockwellcollins.com.

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