RF-7800S Radio Will Become Standard Platform for Secure Communication of Voice, Data and Situational Awareness for Squads and Platoons

14:15 GMT, July 1, 2009 ROCHESTER, NY | Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), an international communications and information technology company, has been awarded a contract to deliver the RF-7800S Secure Personal Radio for Sweden’s Inter/Intra Group Radio (IGR) program. The contract is a multi-year framework agreement with an initial quantity of 900 radios to be delivered in July 2009.

The RF-7800S will provide Swedish soldiers with an easy-to-operate solution for voice and wideband data communications. The radio will initially be fielded in the Nordic Battle Group to keep squads and platoons continually connected to critical real-time information during operations. Compact and weighing less than 600 grams, yet fully ruggedized to military specifications, the RF-7800S ensures high portability and reliability in the field.

“Our goal is to enhance the communication capabilities within individual squads, as well as provide detailed information exchange between squad and platoon levels, enabling safer and more effective operations,” said Maria Holmberg, Project Manager for IGR at Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV.) “The Harris RF-7800S delivered the voice and data capabilities critical to our application, combined with a superior level of durability and performance.”

Designed specifically to address the unique requirements of soldier-level communications, the Harris RF-7800S offers full-duplex voice capability, allowing several soldiers to talk simultaneously with an unlimited number of listeners — resulting in more natural use among group members. The advanced waveform, coupled with the 350- to 450-MHz frequency band, provides more than 2 kilometers range over open terrain, and superior penetration of buildings and dense foliage. An integrated GPS receiver enables real-time position tracking of each user and a high-speed USB interface facilitates direct connection of other C4 devices. All transmissions are secured by standard Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) or Citadel® II digital encryption.

”The RF-7800S will give Sweden’s Armed Forces a platform to connect the soldier to the network-centric battle space,” said Dana Mehnert, group president, Harris RF Communications. “This radio will deliver the capabilities required immediately for operations today, as well as the flexibility to integrate with ongoing system developments such as Sweden’s MARKUS soldier modernization program.”

The RF-7800S has been adopted by more than 20 countries, including the Norwegian Defense Force’s NORMANS program. The radio is currently being considered as a platform for several additional standardization programs worldwide.