$21 Million for Second Production Lot for CRIIS
Rockwell Collins announced on 11 April it has been awarded a U$21 million contract to support the second production lot of the Common Range Integrated Instrumentation System (CRIIS) to upgrade US Air Force, Navy and Army test ranges.
The second production lot for this next-generation test range instrumentation system will replace legacy range systems at Eglin, Nellis and Edwards Air Force Bases, Naval Air Stations at Patuxent River, China Lake and Point Mugu and White Sands Missile Range.
The CRIIS programme fulfils DoD’s vision of common test and training infrastructure for improved operational realism by providing real-time tracking of air exercise participants up to approximately 350nmi (line of sight plus relay); accurate time, space, position information under highly dynamic aircraft conditions and an extended area control of air, land and sea participants. It also offers an open architecture design to support range flexibility; multiple independent levels of security architecture; standardisation of interface protocols, including test and training enabling architecture; software defined radio for waveform and frequency agility; and support for synthetic threats and forces.
“With multi-level security and data link capabilities, the F-35 and other fighter aircraft will be able to perform several missions in a single day by transferring connectivity to multiple ranges versus a traditional test mission which consists of an exclusive base-to-aircraft data link,” Troy Brunk, vice president and general manager, Communication, Navigation and Electronic Warfare Solutions for Rockwell Collins, stated. “CRIIS provides much needed technology to modernize our US military ranges.”
For example, an F-35 stationed at Edwards AFB can take off in the morning, fly to White Sands Missile Range for range-specific testing and then continue to Nellis AFB, NAWS China Lake, the sea range located at NAS Pt. Mugu and return to Edwards AFB at the end of the day, all while transferring its data connection securely to each range system. The CRIIS system will support developmental and operational testing with the named test ranges, and is ready to support F-15, F-16, and F/A-18, F-22 and F-35 in live, virtual and constructive test scenarios.
