General Dynamics [GD] C4 Systems yesterday said it received an order from the Army to deliver a new secure radio for Nett Warrior soldiers.

The Low-Rate Initial Production order for 2,052 radios includes engineering support and related equipment has a maximum potential value of $11 million if all options are exercised.

The Nett Warrior Radios are scheduled to begin delivery in the first quarter of 2013.

The new Nett Warrior radio is part of the Handheld Manpack Small Form Fit (HMS) family of radios. 

The secure radio weighs less than two pounds. It communicates using the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) and meets a critical communications need by giving Nett Warrior team members access to the government’s classified networks at either the Secret or Sensitive But Unclassified level, the company said in a statement.

Nett Warrior is an Army program that provides integrated situational awareness and mission command for dismounted soldiers.

“By providing a lighter, smaller radio capable of two levels of security, Nett Warrior soldiers will have increased agility and significantly improved access to classified mission-critical information,” said Chris Marzilli, president of General Dynamics C4 Systems. “That combination can help save American soldiers’ lives.”

The Nett Warrior Radio joins the HMS family of tactical radios, which includes the AN/PRC-154 Rifleman and AN/PRC-155 Manpack radios. The radios enable soldiers on the battlefield to have highly mobile voice, video and data communications capabilities using U.S. government waveforms that include SRW, Wideband Networking Waveform and Mobile User Objective System waveform. Waveforms move information from a radio to the tactical network by providing the physical signal, network protocols, routing and security functions.

General Dynamics is the prime contractor for the HMS program. With the order for the Nett Warrior radios, the Army has procured more than 26,000 HMS radios from General Dynamics. 

The Nett Warrior Radio shares common technology with the HMS family and seamlessly interoperates with the Rifleman Radio.