HARRIS PROVIDED MORE THAN 500 FALCON III RADIOS FOR NIE 12.2
By Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Dennis Moran, vice president, government business development, Harris RF Communications
06 Sep 12. At the Network Integration Evaluation 12.2 in May and June 2012, Harris provided more than 500 Falcon III radios—the most ever—for evaluation. The AN/PRC-117G, AN/PRC-152A, AN/PRC-152A Applique systems and RF-7800W wideband radios were tested in various configurations, equipping the complete brigade combat team with interoperable wideband networking capabilities.
The evaluation included the two-channel Harris wideband AN/VRC-114 vehicular system. This system utilizes AN/PRC-117G radios to transfer cross-domain networked information between classified and unclassified networks, which allows data traffic to flow directly from dismounted soldiers to leaders on the move or in command posts.
This particular NIE also involved the largest and most complex (to date) network architecture test and evaluation of the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW). At this evaluation, the AN/PRC-117G and AN/PRC-152A radios, as well as the AN/PRC-152A Applique systems, operated the SRW. The AN/PRC-117G is the only full-production radio with its NSA certification for Type-1 implementation of SRW, but Harris expects to receive certification later this year for Type-1 implementation of SRW in the AN/PRC-152A handheld.
Also under evaluation was the Adaptive Networking Wideband Waveform Revision C (ANW2C), which was operating on AN/PRC-117G vehicular radio systems. ANW2C utilizes Dynamic Channel Allocation technology to improve system data capacity to up to 10 Mbps in 30 node networks.
Harris radios at NIE were installed in more than 400 military vehicles, including M1 Abrams Tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, HMMWVs, and MRAPs and MRAP ATVs. Soldiers are deployed to the exercise area with AN/PRC-117G radios in rucksacks. Prior to and in support of the NIE, Harris conducted more than 350 individual training classes.
The Network Integration Evaluation 12.2 represented the final NIE before the Army began deploying the initial phase of the integrated network, which includes Falcon III tactical radio systems.