Thales To Supply Rifleman Radios To U.S Army

Thales has announced that the U.S. Army has awarded a second Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract for AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radios, part of the Joint Tactical Radio System Handheld, Manpack, and Small Form Fit (JTRS HMS) program. Prime contractor General Dynamics C4 Systems will oversee Thales’ production in the LRIP Rifleman Radios. With this latest award for 13,000 radios and associated ancillaries, the Army has procured more than 19,000 AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radios. Jointly developed and manufactured by Thales and General Dynamics, the Rifleman Radio is a lightweight, body worn radio that transmits voice and data simultaneously utilizing the Soldier Radio Waveform. It brings secure (Type 2) squad-level communications to the soldier at the tactical edge of the battlefield network. The radio allows self-forming, ad hoc, voice and data networks and enables any leader at the tactical level to track individual soldier position location information, giving dismounted soldiers a much-needed situational awareness capability. The Rifleman Radio is a core component of the Army's Capability Set 13, which provides network components, associated equipment, and software that will, for the first time, deliver integrated voice and data capabilities to soldiers at the tactical edge. "The Rifleman Radio has received a tremendously positive response from the soldiers," said Michael Sheehan, President and CEO of Thales Communications, Inc. "Thales is proud to play a role in the Army's brigade modernization program by arming our nation's warfighters with the smallest, lightest, and most power-efficient equipment possible".