Falcon III AN/PRC-117G radio becomes JTRS-certified

Harris Corporation has announced that it has received Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) certification for its Falcon III AN/PRC-117G multiband manpack radio operating SRW v1.01.1, marking an important milestone for the system. As a JTRS-certified product, the AN/PRC-117G is now considered compliant with the standards set forth by the JPEO JTRS and proven to be compatible with the Department of Defense (DoD) network objectives.

The Falcon III AN/PRC-117G is a tactical wideband networking radio. It provides enhanced situational awareness of the battlefield by connecting warfighters to the tactical Internet. Through its wideband architecture, the AN/PRC-117G enables applications such as streaming video, simultaneous voice and data feeds, collaborative chat, and connectivity to secure networks.

According to Harris, JTRS Certification is part of an emerging process designed to enable competition while facilitating the development of tactical networks that are low-risk, secure and interoperable. To become JTRS certified, a tactical device must fulfil seven separate requirements, including testing or certifications for waveform conformance and Joint Interoperability Test Center interoperability, National Security Agency information security, programmable cryptography, National Telecommunications and Information Administration spectrum compliance and Software Communications Architecture compliance. The JPEO JTRS process is designed as an interoperability and security risk reduction effort to characterise JTRS waveforms operating on a specific Software Defined Radio (SDR).

More than 22,000 AN/PRC-117G radios have been supplied to the US military as well as over a dozen allies including Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Australia, Poland and several other countries in NATO. The radio is combat-proven and exhaustively tested in field exercises, laboratory environments and has been employed as a secure wideband tactical networking radio in Operation Enduring Freedom since 2009.