Under the terms of a $3-million contract, California Microwave will install and integrate the Wescam M-20 sensor aboard three ARL-M aircraft, along with the wideband Tactical Common Data Link, the Army's newest datalink, which allows the real-time transmission of synthetic-aperture-radar (SAR) imagery from the ARL-M (provided by a multimode, X-band SAR, produced by Raytheon).
The ARL-M, employed for airborne reconnaissance and surveillance, is fitted aboard a DeHavilland Canada RC-7B (commercial designation: DHC-7C Model 102) aircraft and consists of radar, communications-intelligence and imagery-intelligence systems.