The US Army wants lighter tactical radios that won’t overheat on soldiers
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The Army has already awarded low-rate production contracts to General Dynamics and Rockwell Collins for just over 5,000 manpack radios.
In a June memo, Maj. Gen. H.R. McMaster, commander of the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, which oversees equipment requirements, blasted the radios for weighing twice as much as current Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System backpacks – or, SINCGARS – and for having a shortened range of 3 kilometers, compared to 7 for SINCGARS.
Battery life is a problem, too. The current manpack, according to the memo, requires two batteries for six hours of operation. SINCGARS batteries, on the other hand, lasts 33 hours.
Users also raised questions about radios overheating and putting soldiers at risk of injury, National Defense Magazine reported this June.
“The Maneuver Center of Excellence considers the dismounted … manpack radio unsuitable for fielding to brigade combat teams,” McMaster told Defense One. “A radio that is heavier and provides less range while creating a higher logistics demand does not make our units more operationally capable. Additionally, any radio that places our soldiers at risk of being burned is unacceptable”
The Army Contracting Command – which manages tactical radio buys – recently submitted a request to industry to shrink the weight and boost the transmission power of the manpack as part of an upcoming procurement.
The Army said it wants potential bidders to develop manpacks that have a threshold weight of 12 pounds and an objective weight of 8 pounds. This new weight threshold includes the radio, batteries and accessories such as handsets and antennas.
The new radio should have an objective 10-kilometer range in both SINCGARS mode and the software-defined radio channel mode. Battery life should peak at 24 hours and should be capable of recharging from AC and DC power sources.
