A key element in the continued transformation of the U.S. military is a communications system that delivers the power of wideband networking wirelessly to the individual warfighter. It is paramount in this age of asymmetrical warfare that individual soldiers are able to access data-intensive applications and connect to secure networks on the move. The Falcon III^® AN/PRC-117G is the first such man-portable multiband wideband networking radio to accomplish this for U.S. forces.

Harris is currently supporting the Army in the deployment of wideband networks to Brigade Combat Teams across Afghanistan. This is a huge challenge for the Army involving the installation not only of AN/PRC-117G radios, but other tactical communications equipment as well, along with synchronization with existing fixed-site networks. Harris engineers are in the field working alongside the Army to support this important deployment.

The early returns from this investment by the Army are significant. Already the Army has identified new applications utilizing wideband networks that are contributing to safety and security of deployed soldiers and leading to greater mission success.

On this page you can read more about the Army’s wideband deployment and Harris Corporation’s proud support of it.  

About the radio

The AN/PRC-117G transmits voice and data to the tactical Internet at rates of up to 5 Megabits per second. The frequency range is 30 MHz to 2 GHz, a four-fold increase over existing radios. The AN/PRC-117G is also approximately half the size and weight of competing radios -- extremely important to weight-burdened soldiers. The radio contains an embedded SAASM GPS and operates from a single standard battery, further reducing the weight of a dismounted radio yet maintaining peak transmit power of 10 watts for Very High Frequency (VHF) and 20 watts for Ultra High Frequency (UHF).  The radio’s wideband architecture enables applications such as streaming video, simultaneous voice and data feeds, collaborative chat, and connectivity to secure networks such as SIPRNet, providing warfighters and field commanders with critical real-time information through a man-portable radio that is significantly smaller, lighter and more capable than legacy units.  

The principal advantage of the radio is the capability it provides for warfighters to show as well as tell. Previous generations of tactical radios were used to send commands by voice; the AN/PRC-117G is a “multimedia” radio – in other words, it can be used by deployed forces to send and receive streaming video, biometrics, and other high-bandwidth imagery to provide improved situational awareness and intelligence. This information can be captured from a variety of platforms, including airborne vehicles, and can be redistributed across a network. When linked to satellite communications systems, the AN/PRC-117G is able to transmit the high-data-rate information across the globe.