Posted by John McHaleMELBOURNE, Fla., 23 April 2011. U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) officials placed a $7.6 million order with Harris for the procurement Harris of Falcon III AN/PRC-117G multiband manpack radio systems, which will enable video, e-mail, and collaborative chat for deployed warfighters.The AN/PRC-117G system delivers critical real-time information to warfighters on the move and their field commanders through a man-portable software-defined radio with reduced size and weight. The Falcon III radio platform enables missions such as checkpoint and patrol biometrics, convoy tracking, route planning, and fires de-confliction. "The AN/PRC-117G enables network connectivity to the tactical edge in real-time and delivers significant new combat applications to the squad and below level," says Brendan O'Connell, president, Department of Defense business unit, Harris RF Communications. "With the wideband networking capabilities of the 117G, forces will have real-time access to intelligence, situational awareness, and effective fires." Falcon III is the next generation of radios supporting the U.S. military's Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) requirements, as well as network-centric operations worldwide.