Personnel at the U.S. JTRS Joint Program Executive Office (JPEO) in San Diego, through the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) procurement authority, are in charge of purchasing handheld radios for the U.S. Department of Defense. They investigated several competitive products before placing an order with Thales Communications Inc. of Clarksburg, Md.
Office personnel awarded Thales a firm, fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract to provide its AN/PRC-148 Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Enhanced Multiband (JEM) inter/intra team radio system to all services of the U.S. military.
Under this consolidated, interim, single-channel, handheld radio (CISCHR) award, Thales executives will compete for future awards of formal delivery orders, which will determine contract value. CISCHR has a one-year contract period with four additional one-year options.
Designed, developed, and manufactured under a U.S. Department of Defense program, Thales’s AN/PRC-148 JEM has been tested, evaluated, and validated by members of the U.S. government. The JEM’s software communications architecture (SCA) supports cryptographic modernization to ensure secure communications, and can host future waveforms to provide a future-proof, software-based solution.
Thales engineers also are supplying its dual radio AN/VRC-111 Vehicle Adapter Amplifier (VAA) and its Base Station, also as part of this contract. The VAA includes two Thales Vehicle Adapters, two JEM handheld radios, and a Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) interface tray.
The VAA provides multiband, multimode capability, as well as one-second, cable-free radio dismount for a seamless transition from mounted to dismounted operations. At the same time, the Base Station supports and maintains JEM and Vehicle Adapter functionality, as a fixed command center operation. For more information, visit Thales Communications online at www.thalescomminc.com or www.thalesgroup.com.
