GDMS To Provide FAA With Emergency Transceiver Replacement Radio Kits

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded General Dynamics Mission Systems a contract valued at $28 million for full production of URC-300E Emergency Transceiver Replacement (ETR) Kits to replace the legacy emergency backup radios.

“The successful development and qualification of these radios represents a true partnership with the FAA as we worked closely together to refine requirements, integrate best available technology, and incorporate critical operator feedback into the design,” said Rachel Oberc, General Dynamics Mission Systems vice president. “In passing the FAA’s strenuous certification process and incorporating numerous advancements in the radio, General Dynamics is confident that we have met the mark with the ETR kit.”

The General Dynamics Radio Frequency Products team has worked closely with the FAA Program Office in Washington, D.C., the FAA Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City and the FAA Tech Center in Atlantic City, N.J. to rigorously test the URC-300E Transceiver Kit. The team successfully passed the FAA’s stringent operational testing gate review process for the URC-300E to enter service within the National Aerospace System (NAS).

The URC-300E provides significantly increased performance compared to the legacy PET-2000. Specifically, the radio supports both Very High Frequency (VHF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) bands for civil and military air traffic control communications in the event of a catastrophic failure, such as a facility fire or natural disaster.

The URC-300E Transceiver is specifically designed to maximize radio frequency performance and enable users to operate multiple URC-300Es without interference – an unprecedented capability compared to currently available man-pack radios. The close proximity capability enables rapid grab-and-go and multi-channel operation during emergency situations. This enhanced technology, coupled with the radio’s ability to operate on standard lithium-ion batteries, essentially makes the radio “future proof,” resulting in significant time and life-cycle cost savings.

The ETR indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract includes options to procure additional kits throughout the period of performance ending February 2029. A URC-300E ETR Kit contains the URC-300E Transceiver, speaker microphone, headset, AC/DC power converter, antenna, battery housing and the battery.