DX Korea 2018: New HOOK3 Combat Survival Radio from General Dynamics.

U.S. Defense Company General Dynamics Missions Systems showcases its new HOOK3 Combat Survival Radio (CSR) at DX Korea 2018, Defense Exhibition in Seoul, South Korea. The HOOK3® Combat Survival Radio (CSR) provides direct, line-of-sight voice and encrypted two-way data communications that help combat search and rescue teams quickly locate and rescue downed pilots and isolated military personnel.

New HOOK3 Combat Survival Radio at the booth of General Dynamics Mission Systems during DX Korea 2018, defense exhibition in South Korea. September 2018 (Picture source Army Recognition)

The HOOK3® Combat Survival Radio (CSR) sends encrypted global positioning information, user identification and situation reports to provide rescue teams and aircraft operating in hazardous conditions with quick and accurate location information. The new HOOK3 radio is significantly smaller, lighter and has better power efficiency than previous CSAR radios, allowing a crew member to carry a single radio as opposed to multiple pieces of equipment.

Interoperable with all HOOK2® family radios, Quickdraw2 and SATCOM Base Station in use by U.S. and international customers, the HOOK3 CSR is ideal for unilateral or coalition operations. The user-friendly CSR transceiver is software defined, meaning new features, waveforms and software upgrades can be added as they become available.

The new HOOK3 radio features direct, line-of-sight voice and encrypted two-way data communications between survivor and rescue forces (TAC). In addition, the radio incorporates a PLS DME transponder and beacon for terminal guidance (TAG). For assured communications with rescue personnel, the radio communicates to our plug-and-play Quickdraw2® Interrogator onboard a wide variety of rescue platforms, and can also be interrogated by the Rockwell Collins RSC 125G or Cubic PLS AN/ARS-6(V12). Because the radio automatically responds to interrogations, rescue forces can extract the survivor’s GPS coordinates from the radio without operator intervention.

The upgraded CSR sends encrypted global positioning data (lat/long), user identification code, text messages, and situation reports. This provides quick and accurate location and rescue information for air crews, forward air controllers, and personnel operating in hazardous conditions. A single, short encrypted burst to CSAR aircraft offers low risk of detection and interception. Two-way SATCOM and 406 SARSAT beacon modes provide a real-time, direct, over-the-horizon communications path between survivor and rescue personnel.

The CSR allows a crew member to carry a single radio and satisfy Emergency Location Transmitter (ELT) or Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) functions. It will auto-activate with either G-Force or salt water and transmit location data through 406 Cospas-Sarsat or the HOOK waveform. It can also be configured for 121.5 MHz or 243 MHz swept tone beacon.