General Dynamics To Provide 'Rescue 21' Search-Rescue Program For US Coast Guard

General Dynamics Mission Systems has won a $125.6 million contract to provide 'Rescue 21' program management for the US Coast Guard Command, Control, and Communications Engineering Center.

The contract also includes system support and maintenance and sustainment engineering support, the company announced today.

Rescue 21 is the US Coast Guard's advanced command, control and direction-finding communications system. The system was created to better locate mariners in distress, save lives and property at sea and on navigable rivers.

The General Dynamics-built Rescue 21 system enables the Coast Guard to execute its search and rescue (SAR) activities with far greater agility and efficiency.

Rescue 21 is operational along the entire Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts of the continental US as well as along the shores of the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Hawaii, Guam and Mariana Islands.

"Since its implementation, the Coast Guard has supported more than 90,000 SAR cases using Rescue 21. This system saves lives." said Chris Marzilli, president of General Dynamics Mission Systems.

Mission Systems will continue to provide customer care, field support and engineering escalation resources as well as support for information assurance, spare parts and obsolescence management, and pursue life-cycle cost savings.

The 36-month award consists of a base period with three option periods from September 2016 through August 2019.

Rescue 21 is an advanced maritime computing, command, control, and communications (C4) system designed to manage communications for the US Coast Guard. It is designed to be more robust, reliable, and capable than the legacy system by using a modern radio system coupled with a TCP/IP network, and digital communication using VoIP (Voice over IP). It was created to better locate mariners in distress and save lives and property at sea and on navigable rivers.