General Dynamics C4 Systems (GDC4S) has been awarded a $306m contract for delivery of additional AN/PRC-155 joint tactical radio system (JTRS) handheld, manpack, small form fit (HMS) radios to the US Army.
The company will supply 3,726 more PRC-155 radios, along with vehicle integration kits and associated accessories as part of the army’s Capability Set 13 networking and communications gear that is scheduled to be deployed with brigade combat teams (BCTs) in 2013.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Commenting on the radio, General Dynamics C4 Systems president Chris Marzilli said the AN/PRC-155 radio would ensure that troops have access to lifesaving voice and data communications in the battlefield.
"This order, along with the 19,000 AN/PRC-154 Rifleman radios already under contract, moves the army one step closer to achieving its brigade modernisation strategy," Marzilli said.
General Dynamics C4 Systems assured communications vice president Chris Brady said: "The two-channel PRC-155 completes the army’s tactical network by connecting upper to lower tiers, legacy to future waveforms and terrestrial to over-the-horizon links."
The AN/PRC-154 is a two-channel manpack radio designed to provide line-of-sight (LOS) and beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS), high-bandwidth waveforms for on-the-move voice, sensor, data and position-location capabilities to dismounted troops or those in vehicles during combat.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataCertified by the National Security Agency to communicate classified voice and data at top secret level and below, the radio is capable of supporting all three of the army’s non-proprietary networking waveforms, including soldier radio waveform (SRW), wideband networking waveform (WNW), as well as the mobile user objective system (MUOS).
GDC4S had already started AN/PRC-154 radio production in anticipation of this new order and also started shipments in November.
Around half of the radios under the latest contract will be manufactured by Rockwell Collins under an undisclosed subcontract from GD4CS.
An initial batch of 100 AN/PRC-155 manpack radios was purchased by the army in July 2011.
Image: The AN/PRC-155 HMS manpack radio in production at the GD radio factory in Scottsdale, Arizona, US. Photo: copyright © 2012 General Dynamics C4 Systems.
