Replacing 60 pounds of equipment with less than 2 pounds

Challenge:

Reliable, secure communications capabilities in size, weight, and power-constrained environments

Solution:

Software-define radio (SDR) “future-proof” solution

A pioneer of software-defined radio, Thales Communications has led the industry in meeting size, weight, and power-constrained challenges. Focusing on developing the handheld radio, not “shrinking” vehicle radios or manpacks, the company’s vision was to replace the heavy manpack tactical radio with the lightweight handheld radio, without losing functionality. Early on, Thales Communications was the first to reduce the SINCGARS waveform to software. Building on a legacy of handheld radios, Thales Communications replaced over 60 pounds of radio communications equipment with the AN/PRC-148 Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio (MBITR), which weighs approximately 2 pounds. With over 100,000 SDRs deployed and over 85,000 MBITRs delivered to date, Thales Communications has produced more SDR tactical handheld radios than any other provider.

Thales Communications has leveraged their core expertise into the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) world as an integral player in developing JTRS technology. Involved early in JTRS initiatives with Steps 1, 2A, and 2B, Thales Communications currently participates in three JTRS programs: JEM (formerly Cluster 2); Handhelds, Manpacks, and Small Form Fits (formerly Cluster 5); and Airborne, Maritime, and Fixed Station (AMF). As the prime contractor of the JEM program, Thales Communications has developed the AN/PRC-148 JTRS Enhanced MBITR, or JEM. The JEM was the first Software Communications Architecture (SCA) radio to pass the Early Operational Assessment (EOA) milestone and the first SCA radio to complete the formal JTRS Technology Lab (JTeL) SCA verification assessment. Being developed under a formal program of record, it is the only SCA radio to be tested against, and perform to the standards of, the multitude of rigorous evaluations and tests required by the government, such as formal Operational Test and Evaluation and Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) Interoperability Testing. The JEM Operating Environment has been certified SCA compliant making it the first JTRS radio to be certified by the JTRS Joint Program Executive Office for SCA compliance¹. Additionally, it is the first SCA-certified JTRS radio to receive certification from the National Security Agency (NSA) to protect the confidentiality of voice and data through the Top Secret level.

The AN/PRC-148 MBITR and AN/PRC-148 JEM are the cornerstone of a complete system solution for the warfighter that includes a 20-watt Vehicle Adapter with cable-free rapid radio dismount capability, the dual-radio AN/VRC-111 Vehicle Adapter Amplifier with SINCGARS interface tray, Man Portable System with 20-watt broadband amplifier, Base Station for fixed applications, and self-contained Tactical Repeater for range extension.

¹SCA certified with waivers