Harris HF radios will warn Army of biological danger

Harris Corp. will assist the Army detect biological warfare agents as the result of a $9 million order for its high-frequency radios.

Harris will provide Falcon II 400-watt AN/PRC-150 HF systems to the Army for its Joint Biological Point Detection System, which is designed and deployed to detect and identify biological warfare agents.

The AN/PRC-150 automatically communicates alerts to headquarters over high-frequency radio links when the system detects the presence of biological agents, according to a Feb. 9 Harris announcement.

The widely deployed AN/PRC-150 radio system provides continuous coverage in the 1.6 to 60 MHz frequency range, delivering secure voice and data communications even in the harshest conditions, Harris said.

The secure data transmission capabilities of the AN/PRC-150 give U.S. forces the maximum amount of time to respond to potentially significant threats, said Brendan O'Connell, president of Defense Department at Harris RF Communications, in the announcement.

Harris Corp., of Melbourne, Fla., ranks No. 13 on Washington Technology’s 2010 Top 100 list of the largest federal government contractors.