The U.S. Army became the third U.S. Armed Forces branch this month to place an order for Falcon III AN/PRC-117G multiband manpack radio systems with Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS). The $16 million order nearly equals the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force‘s orders of $5 million and $9.4 million.
The systems will help the Army transition to a digitally-networked battlefield. The AN/PRC-117G features a software-defined and upgradeable platform for both voice and data that supports network-enabled missions such as convoy tracking, mission operations planning and medical evacuation.
“The AN/PRC-117G provides the Army with the most versatile platform for terrestrial and satellite communications, ” said Brendan O’Connell, president of Harris RF Communications’ Department of Defense business. “The AN/PRC-117G is widely deployed by all branches of the Department of Defense, fulfilling current requirements, and is upgradeable to meet the emerging requirements of tomorrow.”
The development of the AN/PRC-117G manpack radio has followed the U.S. Joint Tactical Radio System program’s enterprise business model. The EBM encourages companies to develop next-generation tactical communications solutions with investment capital to increase innovation and competition and lower costs.
