HANSCOM AFB, Mass., 9 Sept. 2005. U.S. Air Force leaders are looking to Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to provide cryptographic capability for a strategic communications system.

Rockwell Collins will build KG-3X cryptographic units for the Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network (MEECN) and the Fixed Submarine Broadcast System for transmitting strategic emergency action messages for command-and-control of U.S. nuclear forces.

MEECN would provide secure, high-fidelity, jam-resistant, and survivable communications links between the National Command Authorities (NCA) and the strategic nuclear forces throughout all phases of a nuclear war.

The Fixed Submarine Broadcast System provides low frequency and very low frequency communications with U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarines. The system meets the minimum acceptable ballistic missile submarine connectivity requirements for day-to-day and crisis scenarios.

Rockwell Collins is working under terms of a $33.6 million contract awarded Sept. 7 from the Air Force Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. The contract number is FA8722-04-C-0004, P00012.

The contract is for system development and demonstration completion, low-rate initial production, and production and deployment of the KG-3X Cryptographic Modernization Program.

Company engineers will replace boxes, card sets, and will reprogram 862 units. Work will be at the Rockwell Collins factory in Richardson, Texas, and will be finished in September 2007.

The KG-3X Modernization is a family of end cryptographic units (ECUs) or module development that are being modernized under the U.S. Department of Defense Cryptographic Modernization Initiative (CMI).

The focus of the CMI is to ensure the availability of logistically supportable cryptographic devices with robust cryptographic algorithms throughout their life cycle.