The HOOK3 of General Dynamics is the survival radio for crashed pilots and isolated soldiers, for example behind enemy lines. SurCom recently delivered this new combat survival radio to a NATO country. Technicians and operators were trained via SurCom.
The HOOK3 radio is 30 percent smaller and 40 percent lighter than the HOOK2® radio and has a smaller, more durable battery. In addition, the built-in GPS module has 32 channels, so that the position can be determined and transmitted faster and more accurately. This latest combat survival radio delivers better performance in wooded or bushy areas or near built environments. The radio sends coded GPS, user identification, situation reports and other critical information via short bursts, which lowers the chance of detection. The HOOK3 also uses several Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS).
Benefits
The new HOOK3 radio is considerably smaller, lighter and has better energy efficiency than previous CSAR radios. With this radio, a soldier only needs to bring one radio to meet the function of emergency location transmitter (ELT) or personal positioning beacon (PLB). Other benefits are:
- Activates automatically when G-Force or salt water is detected
- Because the radio automatically responds to the ‘request’ of search and rescue teams, they can receive the GPS coordinates of the survivor directly from the HOOK3 radio without operator intervention.
- The HOOK3 radio is compatible with all HOOK2 radios, Quickdraw2® and SATCOM base stations currently used by American and international military personnel. The user-friendly transceiver is software defined, allowing new functions, waveforms and software upgrades to be added as soon as they become available.