New software-defined CM300 and CM350 radios provide Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) capabilities and improved communications performance

General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), received a contract from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to deliver radios that allow air traffic control personnel to communicate with commercial and military aircraft throughout the National Airspace System (NAS). The 10-year, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract has a potential value of $363 million if all options are exercised. General Dynamics received a $6 million initial award to qualify and certify the radios for operation in the NAS.

"This contract continues General Dynamics long-standing ability to deliver highly reliable, technologically advanced air traffic control radios to the FAA," said Chris Marzilli, president of General Dynamics C4 Systems. "As the nations airspace gets increasingly crowded, these radios have the built-in flexibility to accommodate the growing demand for high-quality, dependable ground-to-air communications."

The contract is part of the FAAs Next Generation Air-Ground Communications (NEXCOM) Segment 2 program which includes replacing outmoded air traffic control (ATC) air-to-ground radios with radios using the latest in communications technology. The software-defined CM300/350 VHF and UHF air traffic control radios will provide Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) capabilities along with improved ground-to-air communications performance.

General Dynamics first delivered the CM-series UHF and VHF air traffic control radios to the FAA in 1992 and has delivered over 13,500 CM300/350 Version 1 UHF radios as part of the NEXCOM UHF contract awarded in 2001.

Information about General Dynamics is available at www.generaldynamics.com.