[SatNews] LOS and BLOS communications is the reason for this contract award...

Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS) has received orders totaling $12.2 million to supply additional Falcon III® AN/PRC-117G multiband manpack radios systems to the U.S. Department of Defense. The DoD is acquiring the AN/PRC-117G in support of requirements for wideband networking as well as line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight tactical communications. Software-defined and upgradeable, the AN/PRC-117G radio system delivers critical real-time information to warfighters on the move and their commanders via a man-portable radio system with significantly reduced size and weight.

"The Falcon III AN/PRC-117G addresses the full range of wideband tactical networking capabilities today, including video, network-wide e-mail and chat and biometrics," said Brendan O'Connell, president, Department of Defense business, Harris RF Communications. "The AN/PRC-117G radio provides warfighters with unprecedented situational awareness and command and control of the battlefield."

The AN/PRC-117G is the first JTRS Software Communications Architecture (SCA)-certified and NSA Type-1 certified wideband manpack radio system and has been adopted by the U.S. Department of Defense, federal agencies and key allies such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, other NATO countries and Australia. The development of the AN/PRC-117G manpack radio has followed the U.S. Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program's Enterprise Business Model (EBM). The EBM encourages companies to develop next-generation solutions in tactical communications using their own investment capital. In doing so, the EBM encourages competition, increases innovation, reduces costs and speeds development of important capabilities.