A soldier uses a manpack radio to communicate at the Army's Network Integration Evaluation 13.1 (Photo courtesy of US Army)
[Satnews] General Dynamics Mission Systems AN/PRC-155 MUOS-Manpack radio was the communications hub connecting soldiers located in the US Army Pacific region with the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) communications network. Multiple two-channel AN/PRC-155 MUOS-Manpack radios, located in and around the Hawaiian Islands, helped soldiers talk, share information and maintain communications aboard Army vessels and in various land-based locations. Equipped with a MUOS high-power amplifier and running the MUOS waveform, the radios helped soldiers share enroute mission command, creating a common operational picture via the MUOS communications network among participating soldiers.
"This successful demonstration, in addition to the joint US Army-Navy evaluation in November 2015, exhibits the military readiness of the MUOS communications network and that the AN/PRC-155 MUOS-Manpack radio is the only radio to successfully connect military personnel with the new MUOS network in multiple operational settings," said Mike DiBiase, a vice president of General Dynamics Mission Systems. "As the Army prioritizes where the AN/PRC-155 MUOS-Manpack radios go, soldiers can count on it to provide the connectivity and crystal clear voice communications wherever they are deployed, particularly in areas where the landscape or geographic location seriously impedes network connectivity."
Held in the Army Pacific area of interest, the demonstration continues to validate how the AN/PRC-155 MUOS-Manpack radio using the MUOS network provided consistent, persistent communications connectivity, solving a challenge for Army operations in isolated and austere locations.
Using the Manpack radios with a MUOS applique and the Joint Battle Command Platform (JBC-P) system, soldiers onboard a Logistics Supply Vessel (LSV) that travelled between two islands communicated and transferred data and images to soldiers in Oahu and Hawaii. In addition to communicating continuously via voice and data from the LSV back to land, commanders tracked the ship's location using the JBC-P. The exercise showed how the networked systems can provide communications and situational awareness data to small units and USRPAC logistical operations.
The General Dynamics AN/PRC-155 MUOS-Manpack radio is equipped with a MUOS high-power amplifier that provides the radio-signal strength needed to reach the MUOS satellites that are in geo-synchronous orbit. Using both channels, the AN/PRC-155 is the bridge that connects different radios and waveforms used by soldiers across a mission area. The AN/PRC-155 MUOS Manpack receives a call from a tactical radio on one channel, routes and retransmits the call using the second channel, sending the call to a satellite communications network, like MUOS or other tactical communications network.
There are currently 5,326 AN/PRC-155 Manpack radios delivered to the Army providing secure line-of-sight and satellite communications connectivity for Army personnel deployed in places where other communication networks are unavailable or inaccessible.
The MUOS waveform is the digital dial tone that connects personnel using the AN/PRC-155 MUOS-Manpack radio with the MUOS communications network, allowing them to talk, text and share mission information seamlessly. As the Army moves to a more expeditionary force, soldiers need to be connected to the network at all times, in every environment and during every stage of an operation.
The Lockheed-Martin-built MUOS communications network provides military and government personnel smartphone-like access to the network with the voice clarity civilians enjoy using their cellphones every day.
