Despite poor test results that highlighted configuration problems and radio frequency interference issues, the Department of Defense granted approval to the Army and a defense industry contractor in early October to continue production of an advanced “backpack” radio that will allow soldiers to communicate on the battlefield.
The initial tests on the AN/PRC-155 manpack took place at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. in late spring and focused on the performance of the radio’s Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) waveform. According to the report released in July by J. Michael Gilmore, director of operational test and evaluation for the Department of Defense, voice quality of the radio was poor, garbled and unintelligible and the SINCGARS waveform demonstrated less half the range of older legacy radios during the tests. The report also criticized the increased weight of the radio and changes to the power switch.
In response, president of General Dynamic’s C4 system unit Chris Marzilli suggested that the diminished quality and range of the radio was due to the Army’s method of installation for the manpack into mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles. Marzilli also added that transmitters at the White Sands testing ground created noise that affected the performance of the manpack in SINCGARS mode, leading to interference between other onboard systems and the manpack that would not happen in realistic conditions.
Later tests completed at the Electronic Proving Ground at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. were able to resolve many of the issues encountered during the spring tests. The defense industry contractor and the Army hope to incorporate the battlefield radio into the Army’s network Capability Sets, an integrated communications package that connects the static tactical operations center, the mobile commander and each individual soldier.
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