US Space Force increases efforts to plug training capabilities gaps
The service has been seeking simulation and emulation solutions capable of reproducing multiple in-orbit threats.
Harris Corporation has received a second low-rate initial production (LRIP) order from the US Army for the AN/PRC-158 multi-channel radio.
The order falls under the company’s Handheld, Manpack & Small (HMS) Form-Fit IDIQ contract, which includes a five-year base and an additional five-year option with a ceiling of $12.7 billion.
The Harris AN/PRC-158 radio features a two-channel, software-defined architecture with integrated cross-banding between waveforms, including TSM, SRW, SINCGARS, SATCOM, providing new capabilities while maintaining backward interoperability with legacy radios.
The radio’s software-defined architecture enables flexibility to respond to new and emerging requirements and allows easy porting of new waveforms. The radio is capable of simultaneously handling classified and unclassified data.
This second LRIP will be followed by operational testing as part of the fielding process. The army has a requirement for approximately 65,000 HMS manpack radios.
The service has been seeking simulation and emulation solutions capable of reproducing multiple in-orbit threats.
The service has been conducting several acquisition and upgrading efforts involving artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve communication, data analysis and ISR systems.
The Syracuse 4B communications satellite, developed by Airbus and Thales Alenia Space, was launched last year, bolstering secure military satellite communications for the French Armed Forces. Thales has now been selected to provide terminals for vehicles.
The growing importance of space in modern warfare, advancements in satellite technology, and increasing threats from rivals like China and Russia were among the topics of a Eurosatory 2024 panel on military space operations.
AN/ARC-232A is a Starfire radio that provides VHF/UHF communications to airborne platforms and the transceiver is software-programmable, allowing for multiple waveform support as well as optional national electronic counter counter-measure (ECCM) capability.
During the 18-month period of the contract, Lockheed Martin will apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques to create surrogate models of aircraft, sensors, electronic warfare and weapons within dynamic and operationally representative environments.