The contract ordered 3,726 PRC-155 radios to be built by General Dynamics C4 Systems in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The PRC-155 radios have completed extensive government testing and are on schedule for distribution to soldiers as part of the Army's Capability Set (Cap Set) 13, an integrated suite of networked communications equipment, and Cap Set 14, scheduled for the first quarter of 2014. The two-channel Manpack radio is the only NSA-certified, two-channel radio that can operate using multiple government-owned waveforms to simultaneously connect soldiers on foot, in vehicles, in aircraft and helicopters to the Soldier's Network.
"These radios are deployed and successfully connecting soldiers with their commanders and higher headquarters using legacy and next-generation communications waveforms, which keep soldiers continuously connected to the Soldier's Network and never alone," said Chris Marzilli, president of General Dynamics C4 Systems. "By authorizing additional LRIP production now, the Army can continue to meet fielding requirements and ensure that every soldier is connected with this lifesaving radio, on schedule."
"With the AN/PRC-155 Manpack networking radio, soldiers can be confident they will have access to lifesaving voice and data communications," said Phil Jasper, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Rockwell Collins. "The hundreds of Iowa employees involved with this effort look forward to delivering the balance of these radios, making our soldiers more capable and more secure."
The PRC-155 Manpack radio allows soldiers using the AN/PRC-154A Rifleman radio to connect to the Army's backbone network, the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) Increment 2. The PRC-155 Manpack also bridges networks – legacy to future, lower to upper echelons and unclassified to classified guard – allowing everyone, from the command center to the soldier on the edge of the battlefield, to stay connected to the Soldier's Network.
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General Dynamics C4 Systems and Rockwell Collins manufacture the AN/PRC-155 two-channel Manpack radios. The radios built under the current LRIP sustain hundreds of skilled technical jobs in Arizona and Iowa. More than 100 PRC-155 Manpack radios are built each week in support of the Soldier's Network that engages more than 300 small business and 7,000 workers nationwide.