Ultra boost

Canadian Commercial, acting on behalf of the US Department of Defense, has awarded Ultra Electronics’ Montreal division, Tactical Communication Systems, contracts worth more than $40m for enhanced tactical radios.

Middlesex-headquartered Ultra will supply upgraded versions of its High Capacity Line of Sight (HCLOS) radios to the US military. Under the first, $33m contract, Ultra will provide radios and associated equipment for the US Army’s Warfighter Information Network - Transformation (WIN-T) programme. The second, $10m contract covers the supply of radios and other equipment for the AN/MRC-142 communication systems used by the US Marine Corps.

In addition, Ultra’s Connecticut-based DNE Technologies business has received $3m contract to provide its communications network access control and data management equipment as part of the AN/MRC-142 renewal programme.

According to Ultra, its radio range provides secure and high capacity data telecommunication services, and also accommodates Ethernet networks, email, near-real-time video transmissions and voice communications.

Separately, Lockheed Martin has awarded a subsidiary of Ultra a six-year contract to supply sonobuoy receivers (sonobuoys are expendable acoustic sensors) for the US Navy’s MH-60R Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopter programme.

Ultra’s New York-based Flightline Systems division won the $21m contract, which contains priced options worth an additional $38m if exercised. It will manufacture software-defined receivers that can be installed on fixed and rotary wing aircraft to detect sonobuoys, which are deployed in the sea to locate submarines.

Sonobuoys transmit signals that can be processed by the mission system on the aircraft to determine information including the submarine type, range and bearing. For the navy’s programme, Ultra will configure the receivers with the Sonobuoy Positioning System (SPS), a feature that allows the helicopter to determine the position of the deployed sonobuoys at a distance.