Radios for US Nett Warrior soldiers

Thales Communications has announced a low-rate initial production (LRIP) contract for secure radios to support the US Army’s Nett Warrior Program.

This Nett Warrior Radio is capable of providing soldiers with access to the government’s classified networks at the secret or sensitive but unclassified level.

The radio is a lightweight, body worn unit that transmits voice and data simultaneously using the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW). It allows self-forming, ad hoc, voice and data networks and enables any leader at the tactical level to track individual soldier position location information.

The radio was jointly developed by Thales Communications and General Dynamics C4 Systems (GDC4S) under the Handheld, Manpack, and Small Form Fit (HMS) program, primed by GDC4S.

The award is for 2052 Nett Warrior radios and associated ancillaries. Half of the radios will be produced by GDC4S and half will be produced by Thales Communications at its Clarksburg, Md, headquarters facilities.  Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the first quarter of calendar year 2013.

“The Nett Warrior Radio provides soldiers with capabilities not previously available in a body-worn radio,” said Michael Sheehan, president and CEO of Thales Communications. “It gives dismounted soldiers access to mission-critical, classified information as well as a much-needed situational awareness capability that can save lives.”