[Milsurplus] Long-lived (on active duty) US Radio Sets

[Ray Fantini]

I stand corrected, the AN/VRC-12 family of radios are indeed king! Have a bad habit of only thinking within cetin groups, aircraft, Navy or ground radios and when inside one line hard to think about the others. Think the R-390A fits inside the ground list somewhere? The Navy R-1051 also been around forever but don't think the R-1051 has much in common with the 1051G or H, maybe the same IF audio mod and the front end assembly, but not much beyond that.

Ray F

-----Original Message-----
From: milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:milsurplus-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Mike Morrow
Sent: Friday, February 15, 2013 2:24 PM
To: milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Milsurplus] Long-lived (on active duty) US Radio Sets

> ...the ARC-27 may have the largest production run and longest service 
> record of any military radio.

The AN/ARC-27/55 is one of the most important command sets in US military history, starting at least in 1952 and maybe a little earlier.  Some were still in service in the 1970s, after more than 25 years of service.  

But the AN/ARC-8 (T-47A/ART-13 and BC-348-*) was still flying in the early 1970s, for about a 30-year run.  The same can be said for the AN/ARN-6, the AN/ARC-3 and its conversions to the AN/ARC-36 and -49, or the AN/APX-6 and its conversions to the AN/APX-25.  In later UHF command set service, it's likely that the AN/ARC-51 series, especially AN/ARC-51BX, beats AN/ARC-27 longevity.  The Collins 618T-2 and -3 (AN/ARC-94 and -102) give the AN/ARC-27/55 close service time competition as well.  Outside airborne sets, the Bendix R-1051*/T-827*/RT-618*/AM-3007 USN sets likely exceed the service time of those other sets.

But forget all of those.  *None* of these meet the service duration of the AN/VRC-12 series.  These FM tactical radios were first deployed around 1961, and were finally phased out of US service in 2008.

  http://www.army.mil/article/14412/legacy-radio-system-retired-from-army-guard/

This article above stretches the longevity a bit by claiming service in the 1950s...but 47 years is still a very impressive run for any electronic system anywhere.  Without doubt the AN/VRC-12-series serves today in some non-US military organizations.

Mike / KK5F