Boeing Awarded 5th US Air Force Combat Survivor Evader Locator Contract

Boeing received a $21.4 million contract from the U.S. Air Force March 31 to manufacture and deliver an additional 2,424 Combat Survivor Evader Locator (CSEL) combat search and rescue radios. Boeing has delivered more than 43,900 CSEL radios to the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps. Today’s agreement is the fifth CSEL contract for the Air Force. "When minutes count, CSEL allows rescue teams to precisely locate isolated personnel using multi-satellite, over-the-horizon communications and GPS," said Boeing CSEL Program Manager Steve Capps. "Boeing CSEL radios save lives by providing real-time communications capabilities and enhanced coordination with a downed pilot." Today's full-rate CSEL production order includes radio sets and adapter spares, rechargeable batteries, and battery adapters. The contract calls for delivery of all components by April 2012. CSEL is the Department of Defense's program of record for combat search and rescue communications. With this contract award, the joint U.S. forces have ordered more than 46,000 CSEL units. The radios also are available to other U.S. government service branches through the General Services Administration.