DRS to build Canadian ship communications system

by John Keller

Designers at the Flight Safety and Communications Group of DRS Technologies Inc. in Carleton Place, Ontario, are building the Shipboard Integrated Communications 2100 systems for two Canadian Iroquois-class (DDH-280) destroyers. DRS engineers are working under a $2.5 million contract from the Canadian Department of National Defence in Ottawa. The systems will go on the Canadian destroyers Algonquin and Huron, and will provide voice communications, including access to the super high frequency satellites. The new system use commercial off-the-shelf components for interior, exterior, and secure circuits on the destroyers during complex joint operations that involve communications with other surface ships, as well as with aircraft, submarines, and satellites. More information is available on the DRS site on the World Wide Web at http://www.drs.com/. —