General Dynamics Proves Capabilities of Advanced Handheld Radios

SCOTTSDALE, AZ /PRNewswire/ -- The General Dynamics C4 Systems Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit (HMS) radios have demonstrated their critical networked-communications capabilities in recent government-run Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) field tests. The tests have proven the radios' interoperability, range, video transmission, and networking abilities. Each of those capabilities is critical to accomplishing the Department of Defense's transformational objectives of increasing connectivity among warfighters and military units.

General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, is the prime contractor for the JTRS HMS program.

"The results of these tests validate that JTRS HMS will transform the battlefield by bringing secure wideband communications and situational awareness to dismounted soldiers at the front of the fight," said Army Col. Daniel Hughes, Ground Domain Program Manager for the Joint Program Executive Office JTRS.

Characterized by their small, light, and power-efficient design, HMS radios work for close-combat tactical communications and are easier for soldiers to carry or wear compared with currently deployed legacy radios. They can also be embedded in new lightweight sensors, robots, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The HMS radios all have the same core design but take on different functionality and physical shape, depending on the unique mission.

The HMS radios are setting a new standard for meeting battlefield-networking requirements compared with all other available radios. A recent field experiment at Ft. Huachuca, AZ, for example, featured a 2-channel Manpack HMS radio, exceeding a 20-kilometer range requirement test and transmitting voice and data over rugged terrain and rough conditions. The Manpack HMS radio is also part of an ongoing field experiment in Lakehurst, NJ. Using the new, highly advanced Soldier Radio Waveform to uniquely format information, the Manpack HMS radio successfully transmitted voice, video, data, and messages to 25 nodes, simulating soldiers operating within a single network.

The HMS radios also are achieving other key JTRS requirements, such as communicating with existing, widely used Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) radios, transmitting video while embedded in unmanned aerial vehicles, and communicating with radios mounted in mobile ground vehicles.

The JTRS HMS 1-channel radio for ground soldiers, the Small Form Fit - C (SFF-C) Version 1, or "Rifleman Radio," is scheduled for user evaluation by the U.S. Army's Evaluation Task Force at Fort Bliss, TX, next month.

General Dynamics will demonstrate the HMS radios' networking capability at the Association of the United States Army Conference in Washington, DC, in early October.

General Dynamics C4 Systems is a leading integrator of secure communications and information systems and technology. With more than 10,000 employees worldwide, the company specializes in command and control, communications networking, computing and information assurance for defense, government, and select commercial customers in the U.S. and abroad.

About General Dynamics
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, VA, employs approximately 84,600 people worldwide and anticipates 2008 revenues of approximately $29.5 billion. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments, and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies.