PRC-155 Manpack radio marks new milestone

General Dynamics C4 Systems has demonstrated secure voice and data call from two AN/PRC-155 two-channel Manpack radios in some of the most severe environmental conditions on earth - Alaska and the Arctic Circle - using the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) waveform to connect with the MUOS satellite and ground communications network.

This demonstration is an important milestone in the PRC-155 Manpack radio’s ongoing operational development, to show that the system can perform in challenging environmental locations.

Reaching the MUOS satellite communications network from high latitudes is particularly challenging due to the physics associated with how radio signals reach the MUOS satellites in geosynchronous orbit around the equator.

Chris Marzilli, president, General Dynamics C4 Systems, said: ‘Exposed to sub-freezing temperatures and blistering arctic winds, the PRC-155 Manpack radio is the first and only military radio to deliver secure voice and data connectivity with the MUOS system from the highest latitudes on the planet.

‘The success of this demonstration proves that with a MUOS-capable PRC-155 Manpack radio, soldiers operating in extreme and isolated locations will always be connected to the soldier's network.’

The demonstration took place in mid-October and covered a number of realistic operational scenarios that included fixed-site locations around Anchorage and Barrow, Alaska and aboard aircraft flying throughout the Arctic Circle. During the demonstration, the PRC-155 two-channel radio completed multiple one-to-one voice and data calls as well as conference calls connecting more than five participants.