SPARKS, Nev., December 14, 2020 – Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), the global aerospace and national security company owned by Eren and Fatih Ozmen, was selected to integrate the Link 16 line of sight (LOS) tactical datalink upgrade into the Air National Guard (ANG) EC-130J Commando Solo aircraft.
Link 16 integration is a critical component in improving U.S. Air Force and Air Force Special Operations (AFSOC) situational awareness through the development of a common operating picture comprised of data exchanged over the tactical datalink.
SNC is leveraging the company’s engineering and integration expertise from the Airborne Mission Networking (AbMN) program to rapidly provide a secure communications suite to the EC-130J. This Link 16 datalink modification is the first step in bringing common AbMN capabilities to the platform.
“The EC-130J is our team’s first Air National Guard integration program,” said Jim Ickes, Vice President of Programs for SNC’s Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Aviation and Security business area. “This is a direct result of our success adding new capabilities to many other platforms, which certainly helps us to grow and diversify throughout the Air Force community. As an Air National Guard veteran, who flew quite a few sorties with the crews of the EC-130J squadron, the opportunity to once again serve this community is even more meaningful.”
The ANG’s EC-130J “conducts Military Information Support Operations and civil affairs broadcasts in FM radio, television and military communications bands,” according to a U.S. Air Force fact sheet.
SNC is a leading integrator for special mission aircraft, including performance modifications to U.S. Special Operations Command’s AC-130J Ghostrider and MC-130J aircraft. SNC brings novel approaches to integrating innovative technology to airborne platforms.
SNC is committed to providing customers with full usage rights, breaking original equipment manufacturer vendor lock and supporting maximized innovation, enhanced competition and reduced system life-cycle costs.
About Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC)
Owned by Chairwoman and President Eren Ozmen and CEO Fatih Ozmen, SNC is a trusted leader in solving the world’s toughest challenges through best-of-breed, open architecture engineering in Space Systems, Commercial Solutions, and National Security and Defense. SNC is recognized among the three most innovative U.S. companies in space, as a Tier One Superior Supplier for the U.S. Air Force, and as one of America’s fastest growing companies. SNC’s 55-year legacy of state-of-the art civil, military and commercial solutions includes delivering more than 4,000 space systems, subsystems and components to customers worldwide, and participation in more than 450 missions to space, including Mars.
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