Rockwell Collins Awarded Over $350 Million For Phase 2 Of USAF GEMS Program

Cedar Rapids, IO -- Rockwell Collins has been selected by the U.S. Air Force as the prime contractor for Phase 2 of the Ground Element Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network (MEECN) System (GEMS) program. The total program value is estimated at more than $350 million over 6 years.

Rockwell Collins was a prime contractor for Phase 1, which involved a five-month study of potential solutions for the GEMS program (see related story).

The GEMS program will replace Air Force and Navy fixed and deployable communications for bomber, tanker, reconnaissance and other alert communications facilities. This system will provide an upgraded networked infrastructure incorporating improved capabilities for aircrew alerting, message handling and the supporting communications links.

Improvements include updated Extremely High Frequency (EHF)/Advanced EHF (AEHF) satellite communications and redundant Very Low Frequency (VLF) communication paths for critical strategic message traffic. The improvements will eliminate obsolescence issues associated with the current aircrew alerting devices (pagers and klaxons), Ultra High Frequency (UHF) communications and Emergency Action Message (EAM) processing systems.

Rockwell Collins has been involved in the MEECN system since its inception and continues to provide key portions of the network for the U.S. military. GEMS will provide the U.S. military with strategic communications for the fixed and transportable ground portions of the network.

SOURCE: Rockwell Collins