Radio Systems News

A Hong Kong-flagged tanker was briefly detained in Iran before being freed after armed Iranian guards in speedboats directed the vessel into its waters while it was sailing through the Gulf of Oman, maritime security sources said on Wednesday.The sources said the SC Taipei chemical tanker had been sailing in international waters on Tuesday when it was stopped."The vessel was approached 48nm (nautical miles) offshore Fujairah and hailed by four skiffs carrying armed Iranian coastguard personnel," British maritime security company Ambrey Intelligence said."The vessel's crew were ordered to lower the ladder and were then boarded. The vessel was later directed to Kooh Mobarak…

British multinational BAE Systems was awarded a pair of contracts worth $300 million that will support the Navy in digital endeavors.The first is a $212 million contract from the Navy’s Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division to integrate and sustain critical communications systems. As per contract, BAE will design, acquire, integrate and test radio systems for new guided missile destroyers specifically, as well as other unspecified Navy and Coast Guard ships.Additionally, the company was awarded a separate $104.7 million contract by NAWCAD to provide engineering and technical services to support production, lifetime-support, and in-service engineering for the radio communications C5ISR (command…

The construction of up to 20 new ferries for New York City is arguably the most exciting maritime new construction project in the U.S. this year. Last month we visited with Cameron Clark, Corporate Vice President, Development and Special Projects, Hornblower, the project manager for the new Citywide Ferry by Hornblower fleet, who discussed the challenges and opportunities ahead. Hornblower has, in the span of 36 years, become the force in the U.S. ferry market, with more than 2,000 employees and 20 million passenger trips annually, including a cumulative staff of 700 in the New York City area.

Margo S. Marks is President/General Manager of Beaver Island Boat Company, Beaver Island, Mich. The company has provided passenger, vehicle and freight services, between Beaver Island and Charlevoix, Mich. since 1984. The first ferry service to the island began in 1890. B.I. Boat Company operates two subchapter K vessels with a capacity of up to 294 passengers and 16 vehicles on the larger vessel, and 172 passengers and 9 vehicles on the smaller vessel. Notably, Margo has deep roots in the Gresat Lakes community and graduated from the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in 1983…

On a warm summer morning last July, boat owners and passersby were drawn to a craft not often seen in the sleepy harbor of Wickford, Rhode Island. Tied up at the dock was the new, 37-foot, Multi-Mission Interceptor (MMI) recently produced by SAFE Boats International, where it was making a stop along its promotional run down the east coast. The craft features a sleek, state of the art design and is fully equipped with best-of-breed technology and products from a variety leading marine companies, including Mercury Verado outboard engines, Raymarine navigation system, SHOXS Shock Mitigating Seating and FLIR gyro-stabilized multi-sensor imaging systems, to name just a few. For critical communications, SAFE Boats partnered with David Clark Company of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Semco Maritime, a global provider of communications solutions, telecoms systems integration services and collaborative applications to the offshore oil and gas industry, has won a multi-million dollar contract to deliver communications systems and infrastructure for the production platforms at the new Maersk Oil operated Culzean field in the UK sector of the North Sea. The award of this contract by Singapore based yard Sembcorp Marine Offshore Platform Pte. Lts. continues Semco…

The U.S. Navy awarded a contract modification to General Dynamics Mission Systems to build and deliver more than 30 new AN/USC-61(C) Digital Modular Radios (DMR), along with related materials and equipment for new Navy surface vessels and submarines. The software-defined radios are a mission critical communications hub for Navy vessels and submarines. The contract modification exercises the sixth option to a contract awarded to General Dynamics in 2010. A majority of the work will be done at General Dynamics’ Scottsdale, Arizona, location. “This contract demonstrates the Navy’s continuing trust in DMR as it keeps pace with new and innovative communications technology for sailors and their commanders to securely connect with one another anywhere…

The U.S. Navy has ordered 56 AN/USC-61(C) Digital Modular Radios (DMRs) and related equipment from General Dynamics. The newly built DMR radios will be capable of using the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) waveform, the digital dial tone needed to make voice calls to the U.S. Department of Defense's next generation, narrowband MUOS satellite communications system. The four-channel radios form the foundation of the Navy's network communications aboard submarines, surface ships and on-shore locations. This order, valued at over $29 million, exercises option five on a contract awarded to General Dynamics in 2010. "DMR is an extremely versatile radio and we continue to update its capabilities to ensure that Navy communications networks have the most advanced and secure technologies…

Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS) has received Type-1 National Security Agency (NSA) certification for its Falcon III® RF-340M multi-channel manpack radio. The certification enables Harris to field the radios for secure voice and data communications up through the Top Secret level of information assurance. The RF-340M multi-channel manpack is the first and only commercially developed radio to achieve Type-1 certification in anticipation of the U.S. Army's Handheld, Manpack and Small-Form Factor (HMS) tactical radio program. The radio is smaller and lighter and offers extended battery life in comparison to the current program of record radio.

Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract by Peter Dohle Schiffahrts-KG to supply the Integrated Bridge Systems, including navigation, voyage data recorders and radio systems, to seven new bulk carrier ships. Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine business unit will supply the equipment to Jiangsu Hantong Shipyard in Nantong, Jiangsu, China. The full Integrated Bridge System package will include VisionMaster FT Radars, VisionMaster FT ECDIS, Magnetic Compass System, Echosounder…

Europe has yet to fully wake up to the danger of maritime disasters caused by signal jamming and blackouts of satellite navigation devices, say the proponents of a back up system on trial in British and Dutch ports. Ships increasingly rely on systems that employ satellite signals to find a location or keep exact time including the Global Positioning System (GPS) and GLONASS. But experts say such systems are vulnerable to signal loss from solar weather effects or radio and satellite interference and can also be affected by intentional jamming by criminal gangs, nation states or potentially from militant groups. The General Lighthouse Authorities of the UK and Ireland (GLA) is pioneering a radio-based back-up prototype called eLoran.

Power and automation technology group, ABB, informs it has won three orders worth $60 million for internal and external telecommunication systems for three Statoil projects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The three contracts have been signed with leading shipyards in South Korea. ABB will be a system integrator of telecommunications on the offshore installations built for the Aasta Hansteen and Gina Krog fields in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea and for the Mariner field in the British sector.

Hosted by the Port of Pittsburgh Commission, Metric Systems Corp. carried out Beta-testing of its 'White Space' spectrum wireless networking systems with successful results. The trial was a tough, real-world application showcasing the superior propagation capabilities of the newly opened unlicensed TV bands, called White Space spectrum, says Metric Systems. Using the production RaptorX (VHF/UHF Network Radio) continuous high-definition broadband wireless video communication was established and maintained over a rugged…

Thuraya Displays Full Suite of Satellite Telecom Solutions at Malaysian Defense Show. Commercial satellite communications is increasingly becoming an essential tool for government users as the need to dispatch crucial information rapidly, reliably and securely is fundamental to coordinating command and control. Requirements for high data speeds, highly portable and versatile data terminals as well as reliable handheld phones continue to grow in demand within the military sector.

Thales Communications, Inc., has announced that its AN/PRC-148 Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Enhanced Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio (MBITR), or JEM, has received Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) certification for the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) satellite communications (SATCOM) Integrated Waveform (IW). Thales’s SATCOM IW capability eliminates the need for warfighters to carry their existing heavy, manpack tactical radio systems, and enables each member of the team to deploy with a fully-interoperable, beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) capability. The JITC certification allows users access to SATCOM IW on their fielded AN/PRC-148 JEMs via software upgrade, producing minimal impact on deployed radios and requiring minimal operator intervention.

Just one look at the tug Sea Reliance and its companion barge 550-1 shows that Marine Transport Corp., a Crowley Maritime Corporation company, spared no effort to make this ATB (articulated tug barge) and barge a state-of-the-art workboat. Its twin Caterpillar 12-cylinder diesel engines put out a combined total of 9,280 hp allowing for a sustained speed of 12-knots with a full load of 155,000 barrels of petroleum. The barge's cargo-handling systems, with inert gas blanketing and hydraulics, are the equal of most tankers. The technology is matched only by the accommodations and amenities, including single staterooms and private showers, which every crewmember greatly appreciates.