HARRIS MAKES CRYPTOGRAPHIC BREAKTHROUGH

13 Sep 07. Harris Corporation (Stand No. 923)has developed breakthrough cryptographic communications technology for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence that will make it easier for allied forces to coordinate their missions.

The company is expecting certification of the BID-2370 Commongood High-grade INFOSEC Module (Programmable) or CHIM(P) programme, which aims to deploy software-based encryption to the office and the battlefield. Certification is expected to come from CESG, the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance in the United Kingdom.

BID-2370 secures voice and data transmissions at all protective marking levels, up to and including TOP SECRET, UK EYES ONLY. The CHIM(P) End Crypto Unit (ECU) contains a stand-alone, Core Cryptographic Module (CCM) that can also be installed in many other pieces of UK government equipment and systems. The CCM-embedded equipment and CHIM(P) ECU can also be offered to other NATO and European Union member nations.

Certification of the BID-2370 represents the final stage of a two-year programme of work for the Ministry of Defence. The MOD awarded Harris Systems Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Harris Corporation, the £4M CHIM(P) contract in October 2005.

“The CHIM(P) project will prove to be very significant in the evolution of interoperable tactical communications,” said Richard Rzepkowski, vice president of communication security products, Harris RF Communications. “We are proud to be on the cusp of delivering a system that will lead to better coordination and operational awareness on the battlefield.”

The objective of CHIM(P) is to deliver a programmable encryption system that addresses challenges arising from the increased use of multi-national, multi-disciplinary and multi-agency military and peacekeeping coalitions. The success of these missions depends largely on the ability of forces to exchange information securely and in real-time.

CHIM(P) allows for that exchange by offering the reprogrammable CCM and the first in a series of next-generation, multipurpose, reconfigurable ECUs. The design of this device makes it possible for personnel at a variety of security clearance levels to stay in touch dynamically.

For instance, Harris envisions that the CHIM(P) ECU will be used to support high-grade (UK/NATO) legacy links, as well as the evolving new higher-speed links that utilize the HAIPE-IS and LEF standards.

The CHIM(P) certification is the latest in a series of successes from Harris’s communications security products business. Earlier this year the company successfully demonstrated a new programmable software solution that will help enable U.S. and U.K. soldiers communicate securely using Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) and Bowman tactical radios. The U.S. JTRS and U.K. Bowman systems are based on different standards and previously were not interoperable.

Under a contract with the JTRS Network Enterprise Domain (NED) office, Harris developed a suite of cryptographic applications for its Sierra II programmable encryption engine to provide secure communications interoperability with legacy, hardware-based encryption solutions. A demonstration of one such application – the ability to interoperate with the U.K. legacy Bowman radios — was sponsored by the JTRS NED and performed in conjunction with ITT Corporation.

The effort demonstrated direct communications interoperability between Bowman VHF radios and a newly developed Software Communications Architecture (SCA) compliant JTRS Bowman VHF waveform (JBW) developed by ITT for the Joint Tactical Radio System.