Harris Corporation Extends Wideband Networking to U.S. Army Brigade at Network Integration Evaluation
December 22 2011 - 8:30AM
Business Wire
Harris Corporation provided first-of-its kind integrated
wideband networking capabilities that successfully connected
dismounted soldiers to senior commanders within a Brigade Combat
Team at the recent U.S. Army Network Integration Evaluation.
Harris deployed a two-channel Falcon III® AN/PRC-117G vehicular
system that transmitted voice and wideband data between two
separate tactical networks — analogous to a call or text message
that moves from one carrier’s cellular phone to another. The system
consisted of two AN/PRC-117G radios connected to each other in a
vehicular amplifier adapter.
Soldiers at the NIE 12.1, which took place at Fort Bliss, Texas
and White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, also integrated the
AN/PRC-117G with the new AN/PRC-152A wideband handheld radios to
extend networking connectivity from brigade to the tactical edge.
The extended system resulted in wideband communication services
that covered all of White Sands, an area of 3,200 square miles.
The AN/PRC-152A was used to send voice, data, and position
location information from the dismounted soldier over a backbone
Adaptive Wideband Networking Waveform (ANW2) network. The
AN/PRC-152A is the first NSA Type-1 certified handheld radio to
offer wideband networking as well as standard legacy waveforms.
“The two-channel Harris radio systems evaluated at NIE provided
soldiers across the battle space with real-time voice, data and
video, delivered for the first time over the secure, wideband
tactical network,’’ said Maj. Gen. Dennis Moran (Ret.), vice
president, Government Business Development, Harris RF
Communications. “This exercise illustrated how our COTS
non-developmental item radio technology is playing a major role in
the broader wideband network, enabling enhanced communication and
collaboration from brigade and battalion level networks down to the
individual soldier. We support the Army’s focus on continuous
innovation and will continue investing our own research and
development resources to bring new technologies to the user,
quickly and cost-effectively.’’
The two-channel AN/PRC-117G vehicular system at NIE 12.1
simultaneously operated two wideband waveforms. One radio operated
the JTRS Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW), for communication from
platoon levels through to company commands; the other radio ran
ANW2 and transmitted voice and data from company to battalion and
brigade. The Harris system moved information between the SRW and
ANW2 networks, allowing for seamless communication across the
battlefield, from platoon level to battalion and back.
Once the data reached the ANW2 network, it was populated over
the Army’s Warfighter Information Network-Tactical, providing a
common operating picture from the foxhole to the brigade
headquarters. Applications used over the Harris Falcon III radios
were TIGR, file transfer, chat messages and email. During NIE 12.1,
the Harris radios were deployed in rucksacks, vehicles, aerostats,
fixed wing aircraft and RAID towers.
The Army also evaluated two additional wideband radio products
from Harris: The Highband Networking Radio (HNRe2), which provides
an IP-based network with links capable of throughput rates up to 27
Mbps, for VoIP, video and C4I services, and the RF-7800W
High-Capacity Line-of-Sight radio, which delivers quick-to-deploy,
point-to-point or point-to-multipoint wireless Internet Protocol
infrastructure. During the NIE, the HNRe2 delivered nine nodes of
critical communications — including IP transmission of ISR data —
using terrestrial and airborne assets to establish a backbone
network from brigade down to company echelons. The Army used the
RF-7800W radios to provide remote video feeds to command posts,
battalions and headquarters installations as well as an alternative
data link between key nodes.
Harris’ expanded participation in the NIE 12.1 follows its
highly successful performance in the inaugural exercise earlier
this summer. Shortly after the completion of the first NIE, Harris
received a $66.3 million order to provide AN/PRC-117G multiband
manpack radios in support of Army tactical radio modernization.
About Harris Corporation
Harris is an international communications and information
technology company serving government and commercial markets in
more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the
company has approximately $6 billion of annual revenue and about
17,000 employees — including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists.
Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured
communications® products, systems, and services. Additional
information about Harris Corporation is available at
www.harris.com.
Harris (NYSE:HRS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2024 to Jul 2024
Harris (NYSE:HRS)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024