Harris Corp., an international communications and information technology company, has successfully completed initial interoperability testing of its widely fielded Falcon III® AN/PRC-117G multiband manpack radio hosting the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) waveform. MUOS is the next-generation U.S. Department of Defense military satellite communications system for delivering cellular-based service through tactical radios.

"Harris is rapidly delivering on its commitment to offer the MUOS waveform in AN/PRC-117G tactical radios," said George Helm, president, Department of Defense business, Harris RF Communications. "Simple software upgrades will bring MUOS to more than 30,000 AN/PRC-117G radios already in use, giving the DoD the most cost-effective solution for rapidly transitioning its tactical satellite radio inventory to support this important new capability."

The recent test demonstrated interoperability with the addition of MUOS software to AN/PRC-117G radios that were unmodified from their standard hardware configurations. It was conducted at the Joint Tactical Networking Center MUOS Reference Implementation Laboratory in San Diego, California.

Harris now begins a new round of tests of the AN/PRC-117G at the U.S. government MUOS system integration labs in Arizona. The radio successfully completed separate on-air tests last year in San Diego and near the North Pole.

Harris RF Communications is the leading global supplier of secure radio communications and embedded high-grade encryption solutions for military, government and commercial organizations. The company's Falcon® family of software-defined tactical radio systems encompasses manpack, handheld and vehicular applications. 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. Harris RF Communications is also a leading supplier of assured communications® systems and equipment for public safety, utility and transportation markets — with products ranging from the most advanced IP voice and data networks to portable and mobile single and multiband radios.