General Dynamics‘ (NYSE: GD) C4 systems business unit has won a $306 million U.S. Army production order for 3, 726 two-channel manpack radios.
The company said it will provide the Army the AN/PRC-155 radios, manufactured by General Dynamics and Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL), as part of the branch’s Capability Set 13 networking and communications gear.
CS 13, which also includes vehicle integration kits, is set to deploy with brigade combat teams next year.
“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 modernization strategy, ” said Chris Marzilli, president of the C4 systems unit.
The Army first purchased 100 of the radios in July 2011 and General Dynamics said it started deliveries to the Army in November in anticipation of the award.
Last month, the company began a limited deployment of Warfighter Information Network-Tactical Increment 2 as part of CS 13 (click here to read more on that award)>
Manpack radios provide soldiers line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight waveforms for voice, sensor, data and position-location usage on soldiers or in vehicles that are in motion.
According to General Dynamics, the National Security Agency has certified the radios as the only secure, two-channel networking radio to communicate data across the entire force structure.
The company also says the radios are the first to support the Army’s three non-proprietary networking waveforms and additional waveforms when they become available.
