The U.S. Defense Department has placed a low-rate initial production order with General Dynamics C4 Systems (NYSE: GD) for 6, 250 joint tactical radio system AN/PRC-154 rifleman radios and 100 AN/PRC-155 networking manpack radios.
The contract has an initial value of approximately $56.4 million. The award covers expenses for nonrecurring start-up costs, accessories, training, equipment and supplies.
The rifleman radios will provide soldiers on the battlefield with secure and mobile voice, video and data communications like those of commercial cellular networks. They will be the first ground-domain radios used in the field that will meet the full suite of JTRS requirements, according to a company press release.
Defense Department documents indicate the Army plans to purchase more than 190, 000 rifleman and approximately 50, 000 manpack radios, General Dynamics said.
“The rifleman radio, enabled by the soldier radio waveform, will be the first secure tactical radio to extend the network down to the individual soldier, significantly improving their safety and mission effectiveness, ” said Chris Brady, a vice president of General Dynamics C4 Systems. “The two-channel manpack radio bridges rifleman networks to both legacy and future high-level command networks so everyone in the force is on the same page.”
