$750 Million, 10-year Contract Covers Handheld and Vehicular Systems

The US Marine Corps has awarded a 10-year, $750 million contract to L3Harris which will see the company supplying its Falcon IV family of multi-channel handheld and vehicle-mounted radio systems.

The handheld software-defined radios (SDR), designated AN/PRC-163, “provide simultaneous up-and-down echelon connectivity, crossbanding capability, and critical interoperability and redundancy in a small form factor,” the company states. “Overlapping UHF and SATCOM band availability in both channels offers flexibility for any combination of SATCOM, VHF/UHF line-of-sight, mobile ad-hoc networking applications.” The company says it is the most advanced radio available.

“This latest award extends our long and successful partnership with the Marines – we are committed to delivering and supporting battle-proven radios that provide secure and resilient communications to meet their unique mission needs,” Chris Aebli, President of L3Harris’s tactical communications division, said. “Our leadership in software-defined communications architecture enables L3Harris to deliver enduring value while consistently meeting rigorous requirements for performance, size, weight and power, and security – including the NSA crypto-modernization standards.”