Antennas for a Workhorse
Written by William Murray
MIT 2011 Volume: 15 Issue: 11 (December)
Even as smartphone and other new mobile technologies capture the imagination of battlefield communicators, there is still some life left in the Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS), the most widely fielded family of radios in the Army. Through its recent contracting activity, Army officials are showing that the voice and data radios won’t be disappearing anytime soon, since they may operate for another 30 years in the field.
This past fall, ITT Exelis won a $69 million IDIQ contract to supply SINCGARS ground mobile antennas for the Army and Marine Corps.
The robust SINCGARS ground mobile antenna is designed for military applications and is mounted to a spring assembly that absorbs shock and impact, quickly returning it to its proper vertical position for operation. The antenna is also available in a tripod version, which can be deployed on ground mobile vehicles or fixed sites.
Replacing previous Vietnam-era synthesized single frequency radios, SINCGARS is the primary voice control radio system for soldiers at battalion level and below, available for ground, airborne and vehicular use. Vehicle-mount, backpack, airborne and handheld form factors are available.
SINCGARS also forms the network backbone for fire support, enabling data exchange by units such as field artillery, which require digital firing information to accurately engage their targets. The Army has fielded more than SINCGARS 580,000 radios, including approximately 430,000 of the smaller, lighter Advanced System Improvement Program radio variety. In addition to U.S. forces, allies also use SINCGARS.
ITT Exelis has been providing C200 SINCGARS antennas to the Department of Defense since 2006. “Delivery volumes have been driven by warfighter activity and demand in theater,” according to Ken Plate, director of business development for antennas products and technologies at ITT Exelis.
“Lower profile antennas required in urban environments drove demand of C200 SINCGARS antennas,” he said, adding that the antenna range can vary depending on the SINCGARS configuration used.
“The antennas are passive devices that electronically have very extended longevity,” Plate said, when asked about wear and tear and lifespan for the SINCGARS radio antennas. “Wear and tear based environmental factors are the primary reason they are replaced.”
ITT Exelis performs its antenna work in Bohemia, N.Y., and the company supports the Army’s mission through a number of programs and services, from radios, antennas, counter-IED technologies and onsite contractor support, according to Plate.
The ITT Exelis contract earned in October was similar in scope to previous contracts, and Army and Marine Corps purchasers can acquire the antennas directly from ITT Exelis or through the Defense Supply Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Army documents show at least 400,000 SINCGARS remaining in the service’s inventory in the year 2030, according to Jennifer Schoonover, director SINCGARS programs for ITT Exelis.
Meanwhile, a wide variety of antennas designed for SINCGARS use is available from other manufacturers. SINCGARS radios rely on broadband antennas, which don’t require changing with different frequencies. Therefore, conventional narrowband antennas can’t be used.
As opposed to the traditional SINCGARS whip antennas, for example, soldiers and other military personnel can use wearable SINCGARS antennas for intra-squad communications with handheld radios through vendors such as Pharad, Radiowavz and Syntonics. Some operators find that the wearable antennas have ranges that are up to four times greater than the traditional “rubber ducky” antennas. Wearable antennas are easier to conceal with camouflage or dark matte finishes, and they give enhanced mobility to some operators, who can integrate them into tactical vests. Wearable antennas, furthermore, generally don’t hinder the user’s vision.
Wearable SINCGARS antennas are available for 30-512 MHz. The antenna runs from a handheld radio in either chest pocket over the shoulder or a leg pouch and threads into webbing on back of tactical vest. Made of UVPVC coated copper clad stranded steel, the wearable antennas are ruggedized to withstand grit and water.
UNICOR and Federal Prison Industries Inc. Electronics Group manufacture and distribute antennas for SINCGARS radios for tactical military federal agency operations. ♦
