US Army to modernize existing CONUS land mobile radio systems

Photo courtesy of Harris

Geoff Fein - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

Key Points

• The five-year effort will link all US Army bases
• The army wants to move from proprietary systems to open standards

Harris and Motorola Solutions will each upgrade and modernise the existing US Army land mobile radio system infrastructure, as well as replace systems with the latest technology.

Each company received an award of USD461.246 million to update the 63 army installations within the United States. The bases resemble cities, equipped with emergency services, similar to those found in municipal settings, Carlos Whaley, director for federal sales for Harris Public Safety and Professional Communications (PSPC), told Jane’s.

“These 63 army bases are like islands, they have communications systems that are not connected outside of the base; so for example at Fort Benning, Georgia, they can talk to Fort Benning, Georgia, and that is it,” Whaley said.