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In Detail ——  IMP – the CF18 Incremental Modernization Program ——

by Allan Ng M.Eng., P.Eng.

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Canadian Defence Procurement  –  December 2003 The CF18 Incremental Modernization Program  –  In Detail Allan Ng reviews DND's CF18 fighter aircraft modernization plan  (Part 3) Engineering Change Proposal 583,  Continued A New VHF/UHF Radio for the CF18 Hornet  – the Rockwell Collins' AN/ARC-210 RT-1556/ARC [1] These fine Collins radios are standard for US military aircraft. The new radio will allow Canadian Hornets to maintain compatible coded communications with their most important ally. The current CF18 radio's lack of compatibility was an issue that plagued the CF during operations in both the 1991 Gulf War and in Kosovo. The RT-1556 provides line-of-sight communications on VHF/ UHF frequencies as well as HAVE QUICK, HAVE QUICK II, and SINCGARS waveforms making these radios resistant to jamming. The frequencies (UHF and VHF) covered by the radio range from 30 to 400 MHz within the appropriate AM and FM bands. This Collins radio has the advantage of covering air, ground, and maritime communications – previously, this level of coverage was only possible through the use of multiple radio sets. The new RT-1556 is also compatible with a number of US data links used for air-to-air and air-to-ground targeting. GD Advanced Information Systems AN/AYK-14 XN-8 mission computer [2] The original computers on the CF18 have been likened to the Commodore 64 PC. Indeed, when compared to today's standard home computers, any of the mission computers installed in fighter aircraft might seem positively antiquated. However, even the new upgrade computers will not perform much better than the Pentium I or 486 processor. There's a very good reason for this apparent lag in technology. What the new fighter aircraft computers lack in computer power, they more than make up for in ruggedness. Part of the lag between personal/commercial computer developments and military computers like the AN/AYK-14 can be attributed to all the testing required to qualify equipment for military specifications. Your lap-top or desk-top computer might be powerful but,  how long would it keep working at 35,000 feet, in -50°C tempuratures, and under a force of five times normal gravity?