| 10/1/08 - Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS) announced that its Highband Networking Radio system will be deployed to the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Assault Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team currently assigned to the 4th Infantry Division in its role as Multi-National Division-Baghdad (MND-B).
The 4th Infantry Division was responsible for the contracting and acquisition process and will play a critical role in supporting the integration of the Highband Networking Radio into the MND-B network architecture. Harris will supply the radios to contract holder GTSI Corporation, an IT services supplier to the U.S. government. Terms of the Harris contract were not provided. The Highband Networking Radio system was co-developed with BAE Systems.
The 15 radio systems will provide high-bandwidth, on-the-move communications for the 101st 2nd Brigade Combat Team while deployed to Iraq. The contract also includes accessories and field support services. The combat team will use the Highband Networking Radio systems for wireless backbone connectivity among battalion and brigade command posts, company outposts, and joint-security stations. The radios will be integrated with the Joint Network Transport Capability-Spiral, a key component of the Army's battlefield communications solution. BAE Systems' EZ Radio Manager software provides interactive monitoring and control of the Highband Networking Radio network, showing radio mobility link status, location, network topology, and throughput.
The Highband Networking Radio is the first networking system to be deployed in-theatre that integrates directive-beam technology with mobile ad hoc mesh networking to achieve data rates of up to 54 Mbps and node-to-node ranges of up to 30 kilometers. The radios provide secure high-bandwidth connectivity among users of widely dispersed local area networks, allowing seamless communication of voice, video and data to all levels of command for greater situational awareness. A Harris-developed waveform enables the network to autonomously select the best communications path, providing a self-forming, self-healing network so that nodes can enter and exit the network without need of fixed-network infrastructure during rapidly evolving on-the-move communications scenarios.
"We have an urgent need for a network communications system that is unlike any available to the military today, based on the unique demands of the mission that we have to support in Iraq. The Highband Networking Radio offers a set of capabilities that makes our tasking more effective, efficient, and safer," said Lieutenant Colonel Brett Reister, G-6, U.S. Army's 2nd Brigade. "Harris also developed a transit case solution that integrates SIPRNET and NIPRNET services into a simple-to-use, compact, and rugged tactical package tailored specifically for combat team missions."
"This first combat field deployment represents a significant milestone in the Highband Networking Radio, and we are pleased to have the opportunity to support the 101st Airborne with the benefits of this advanced networking system," said Wes Covell, president of Harris Defense Programs. "The radio's strong performance in previous military exercises and its proven ability to integrate with multiple networking architectures ensure that it can work with legacy systems and advanced networks as it supports new communications technologies."
Harris worked directly with the 101st 2nd Brigade Combat Team in its preparation for Highband Networking Radio deployment during the unit's Field Training Exercise and Joint Readiness Training Center exercise. The radio system also has been demonstrated during the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2008 and at similar exercises in 2007 and 2008, including C4ISR On-the-Move at Ft. Dix, New Jersey, and Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
Highband Networking Radio networking applications extend to a variety of scenarios, including terrestrial tactical communications augmented by air-to-ground and ground-to-ground nodes, as well as air-and-missile defense missions. It can also be used to extend the battlespace network into the maritime force contingent, connecting expeditionary forces, near-shore support and blue-water platforms.
Harris Defense Programs develops, supplies, and integrates communications and information processing products, systems, and networks for diverse aerospace, terrestrial and maritime applications in support of the ongoing transformation of military communications to network-centric architectures that support real-time situational awareness in combat conditions.
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Keywords: 4th infantry division, brigade combat team, backbone connectivity, bandwidth connectivity, local area networks, bae systems, wireless backbone, transport capability, radio manager, network topology, security stations, government terms, mesh networks |
