AN/PRC-160
{{Short description|Tactical radio}}{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
The AN/PRC-160 Wideband HF/VHF Manpack Radio is a tactical HF/VHF manpack radio manufactured by L3Harris. The PRC-160 is the manpack HF radio for the Harris Falcon III family of radios. It replaces the earlier AN/PRC-150, with a smaller form factor and lighter weight than its predecessor, and being capable of 4th Generation Automatic Link Establishment (4G ALE), achieving data transmission speeds up to 10 times faster.{{Cite web |title=Helicopter and Multi Mission Radios |url=https://peoc3t.army.mil/Organizations/PM-Tactical-Radios/Helicopter-and-Multi-Mission-Radios/ |website=Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240125235942/https://peoc3t.army.mil/Organizations/PM-Tactical-Radios/Helicopter-and-Multi-Mission-Radios/ |archive-date= Jan 25, 2024 }}
In accordance with the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), the "AN/PRC-160" designation represents the 160th design of an Army-Navy electronic device for portable two-way communications radio. The JETDS system also now is used to name all Department of Defense electronic systems.
Service history
The AN/PRC-160 began production in 2017 as the HF manpack component to the Harris Falcon III ecosystem of tactical radios.{{Cite magazine |title=The HF Communications Renaissance |url=https://issuu.com/l3harrisspectrum/docs/spectrum_magazine_ausa_2020_9oct2020/s/11138710 |access-date=January 23, 2024 |via=issuu |magazine=Spectrum |publisher=L3Harris |date=October 2020 |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123083645/https://issuu.com/l3harrisspectrum/docs/spectrum_magazine_ausa_2020_9oct2020/s/11138710 |archive-date=January 23, 2024 }} Several DoD contracts have since been signed by branches of the US military, including a nearly $8 million US Air Force contract for 264 radios.{{Cite web |title=Contracts for July 18, 2018 |url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/1578474/https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/1578474// |access-date=January 23, 2024 |website=U.S. Department of Defense |language=en-US}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} The PRC-160 is part of the Integrated Tactical Network, the US Army's successor to the failed Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program. The PRC-160 is also in service with the special operations forces of multiple European nations, including Germany, Poland, France, and Ukraine.{{Cite web |last=White |first=Andrew |date=February 1, 2021 |title=High Frequency for SOF |url=https://www.armadainternational.com/2021/02/high-frequency-for-sof/ |access-date=January 23, 2024 |website=Armada International |language=en-US}}
The PRC-160 offers improved data transmissions speeds compared to previous generation HF manpack radios, thanks to the use of 4G ALE.{{Cite web |title=The HF Communications Renaissance |url=https://www.l3harris.com/newsroom/editorial/2021/08/hf-communications-renaissance |access-date=January 25, 2024 |website=L3Harris |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=White |first=Andrew |date=September 22, 2020 |title=The military renaissance in high frequency communications |url=https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/it-networks/2020/09/22/the-military-renaissance-in-high-frequency-communications/ |access-date=January 25, 2024 |website=C4ISRNet |language=en}} This improvement in data speed, combined with the fact that HF radios (unlike SATCOM radios) do not require external infrastructure to achieve Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BLOS) communications with stations several hundred miles away, has led to many nations armed forces investing in new HF radios for redundancy against the vulnerabilities of SATCOM radio communication systems.{{Cite book |last=Revoir |first=R. F. |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA507952.pdf |title=Satellite Vulnerabilities |date=February 18, 2008 |publisher=Defense Technical Information Center |location=Quantico, VA |pages=2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240125235942/https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA507952.pdf |archive-date= Jan 25, 2024 }}
Specifications
- Frequency Range: 1.5-60 MHz{{Cite web |date=January 2024 |title=FALCON III® AN/PRC-160(V) - Wideband HF/VHF Tactical Radio System |url=https://www.l3harris.com/sites/default/files/2024-01/l3harris-an-prc-160v-wideband-hf-vhf-tactical-radio-datasheet-cs-tcom.pdf |website=L3Harris Technologies |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240126002528/https://www.l3harris.com/sites/default/files/2024-01/l3harris-an-prc-160v-wideband-hf-vhf-tactical-radio-datasheet-cs-tcom.pdf |archive-date= Jan 26, 2024 }}
- Presets: 99, fully programmable
- Transmit Power: HF- 1 to 20 watts PEP, VHF- 1 to 10 watts FM
- Waveforms: AM, AME, USB, LSB, CW, FM
- Antenna connector: BNC female with threaded collar, 50 Ω characteristic impedance, unbalanced
- Antenna Tuning Capability: OE-505 10-foot (3 m) whip, RF-1941 dipole, random wires, long wires
- Data Interface: USB and Ethernet with adapter
- GPS: Internal antenna, with external antenna connector. Commercial and SAASM-compatible external antennas available for both.
- Management Tool: Windows-based Communications Planning Application (CPA), WebUI for network monitoring and management
- Encryption: NSA Type 1 (Top Secret and below), AES, Citadel (NSA-approved exportable COMSEC)
See also
{{Portal|Electronics}}