Harris… Employing Encryption For Battle Command (Comms)

[SatNews] Once these units are built, they’ll be forwarded on to the prime contractor for inclusion in their bundle…

Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS) has received new orders to provide programmable encryption devices and support services for use in the Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below−Blue Force Tracking system (FBCB2-BFT), which provides commanders with situational awareness and battle command capabilities.  Total Harris orders for the encryption devices, software, maintenance and other customer support now exceed $100 million. Harris is providing the new devices, known as the KGV-72, to Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), the prime contractor for FBCB2–BFT, for installation in FBCB2-BFT platforms and network operations centers.  To date, more than 85,000 FBCB2-BFT systems have been deployed worldwide.  The devices are supporting operational requirements of the U.S. Army.

The KGV-72 is a programmable in-line encryption device that will deliver high-grade information security to the FBCB2−BFT network. Harris manufactures the KGV-72 encryption devices for the program at its facilities in Rochester, New York. The KGV-72, which was certified in April 2009 by the National Security Agency, enables the FBCB2-BFT system to encrypt and transmit sensitive information network traffic.  The KGV-72’s design has been fully qualified to meet military specifications.  As a building block of the larger FBCB2-BFT system, the KGV-72 is also deployed at network operations centers and in numerous ground and aviation platforms. The device is also fully interoperable with the Joint Capability Release (JCR) – the next version of FBCB2-BFT software developed by Northrop Grumman – and is designed to support both the currently fielded network and the next-generation BFT-2 network.  As the KGV-72 is software programmable, future system evolutions can be accommodated with a software upgrade, avoiding the costs and time associated with equipment replacement. In addition to inline network encryptors such as the KGV-72, Harris also is the leading provider of low-cost embeddable encryption solutions to platforms such as radios, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, remote sensors and missile/telemetry uses.