Harris wins tactical radio deals with Army

Harris Corp. won contracts totaling about $50 million from the Army for its Falcon radio program.

The AN/PRC-150(C) high-frequency radios will support the Army's missions in Iraq and will facilitate other initiatives, such as communicating potential biohazards and constructing a communications backbone during natural disasters.

As part of the program, equipment will monitor, detect and alert officials to airborne biological threats. The radios will be part of a communications system to relay possible threat information.

Harris received the contract as part of the Joint Biological Point Detection System/Biological Integrated Detection Systems program by the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command.

Harris has also received contracts to furnish the Army National Guard with radios for emergency communications. The radios will provide rugged, long-haul communications in several states where hurricanes frequently occur.

"With its digital voice algorithm, the AN/PRC-150(C) provides clear voice communications over stressed HF channels, making it highly reliable in times of crisis," said Jerry Adams, director of Army sales, Harris RF Communications, in a statement announcing the deal.

The embedded, high-speed modem and automatic link establishment ensure that the Army can transmit data rapidly and securely even in degraded channel conditions, he said.

The AN/PRC-150(C) is a member of the Falcon(R) II family of multi-band tactical radio systems.

Harris of Melbourne, Fla., has more than 13,000 employees and annual sales of $3 billion. The company ranks No. 22 on Washington Technology's 2006 Top 100 list of the largest federal IT prime contractors.