Air National Guard chooses RF amplifiers from AR Modular RF for special-ops C-130 aircraft

April 29, 2014
BOTHELL, Wash., 29 April 2014. Communications experts at the U.S. Air National Guard in Washington needed RF and microwave equipment for an upgrade to Air Guard EC-130 Commando Solo special operations aircraft. They found their solution from AR Modular RF in Bothell, Wash.

BOTHELL, Wash., 29 April 2014. Communications experts at the U.S. Air National Guard in Washington needed RF and microwave equipment for an upgrade to Air Guard EC-130 Commando Solo special operations aircraft. They found their solution from AR Modular RF in Bothell, Wash.

AR Modular officials are providing their company's AR-75 RF amplifier for upgrading a fleet of C-130 Air Guard onboard aircraft communication systems.

The Air Guard's EC-130 aircraft to receive the communications upgrades is a modified C-130J Hercules four-engine turboprop that conducts psychological operations and civil affairs broadcast missions in the standard AM, FM, HF, TV, and military communications bands.

These aircraft fly their missions at the maximum altitudes possible to ensure optimum propagation patterns. The C-130J aircraft can fly at altitudes as high as 28,000 feet. The aircraft flies in an orbit offset from the desired target audience of military or civilian personnel.

Related: Tactical RF amplifiers from AR Modular RF chosen by U.S. Navy in $1.4 million contract

The AR-75 tactical booster amplifier enhances the communications capabilities of the C-130 by providing the ability to broadcast at altitudes necessary to reach the desired target audiences, AR Modular officials say.

The AR-75 tactical booster amplifier exceeds requirements of MIL-STD 461F and 810G safety flight certification testing, company officials say. The lightweight booster amplifier exceeds shock and vibration requirements even when directly mounted to the airframe.

The Commando Solo is operated by the Air National Guard's 193rd Special Operations Wing, a unit of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard based at the Harrisburg Air National Guard Base at Harrisburg International Airport in Middletown, Pa.

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The 75-Watt AR-75 operates with VHF/UHF tactical radio equipment on military bands from 30 MHz to 512 MHz. It can work with legacy, proprietary, and emerging waveforms. The amplifier uses six high speed auto switching filters for harmonic suppression and is SINCGARS, HAVEQUICK, HPW, DAMA, IW, WNW, SRW and ANW2 compatible.

The amplifier includes power supply voltage spike suppression, a DC-DC converter for wide DC input range, RF sensing, transmit/receive switching, automatic level control, six automatically switched harmonic filter bands (DAMA capable), and protection against antenna mismatch, over-temperature, and accidental polarity reversal.

For more information contact AR Modular RF online at www.arww-modularrf.com, the 193rd Special Operations Wing at www.193sow.ang.af.mil, or the Air National Guard at www.ang.af.mil.

About the Author

John Keller | Editor

John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.

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