Meeting the Army's critical shortage of SINCGARS radios with enhanced capabilities based on a familiar and proven platform

Background:

The U.S. Army has identified as a critical shortage of SINCGARS radios. SINCGARS is the standard VHF waveform found throughout the Department of Defense and is used by all services when conducting ground operations. It is a frequency-hopping waveform that assists the user in defeating enemy signal intelligence units in their efforts to find and intercept our tactical traffic.

Solution:

Working closely with the U.S. Army’s Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM), Thales Communications built on the technology of its combat-proven AN/PRC-148 Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio (MBITR) and developed the MBITR Vehicle Adapter Amplifier (VAA). The VAA consists of two MBITR radios, two MBITR Vehicle Adapters, and a standard SINCGARS interface tray. The MBITR provides troops with unparalleled multiband secure communications in size, weight, and power-constrained environments and unprecedented interoperability with existing military legacy systems and commercial radios. The Vehicle Adapter provides 20 watts of RF power amplification across the full 30-512 MHz frequency band of the MBITR radio set and enables rapid dismount of the MBITR simply with the push of a button. It opens up a broad range of secure and anti-jamming voice and data applications. Maintaining all of the functionality of the MBITR and the Vehicle Adapter, the VAA, powered through an existing SINCGARS mounting tray, augments the U.S. Army’s SINCGARS capabilities and responds to operational commanders’ needs for multiband communications to address connectivity and operations in urban environments. This capability complements the fielding of thousands of MBITRs in use by dismounted troops as part of the U.S. Army’s Rapid Fielding Initiative program. Existing VAA orders will be delivered with the MBITR version of the AN/PRC-148. Anticipated follow-on orders will be available with either the MBITR or JEM version of the AN/PRC-148.

The VAA solution responded to the U.S. Army’s critical need for SINCGARS radios by providing low-risk, reliable, and proven technology on a critical schedule. Evolution of the AN/PRC-148 from the MBITR to the JEM versions supports immediate delivery of the VAA at a substantial production rate and offers a low-risk transition to further capabilities with the JEM’s JTRS Software Communications Architecture. Because the VAA leverages equipment designed, developed, and tested under a Department of Defense official program of record, risk in fielding this new configuration is minimized. Thales Communications’ VAA solution provides the opportunity to meet the SINCGARS requirement, move to a common platform for vehicular and dismounts, and address connectivity with output power across the frequency band.