L3Harris lands $121M in new Army radio orders

L3Harris Technologies (LHX) has received multiple U.S. Army production orders totaling $121 million for its Low-Cost Data Radio system, known as LOCODA. L3Harris said the radios are intended to support Army Command and Control requirements.

The new awards focus on enabling battlefield commanders to access Army command and control applications from a single vehicle platform. LOCODA provides multiple transport options to connect these applications, fitting into the Army’s broader push to modernize its command and control architecture under contested conditions.

L3Harris describes LOCODA as a solution that uses existing installation kits on vehicles to field an enhanced version of communications hardware. By leveraging kits already in service, the company says the Army can introduce new capabilities quickly and with minimal training. This approach is also described as supporting new and emerging requirements without the need for entirely new mounting or integration hardware.

The radios are designed to support narrowband and wideband waveforms and include anti-jam capabilities. They also support low probability of intercept and low probability of detection waveforms, Mobile Ad Hoc Network Technology waveforms and Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems. These features are intended to maintain connectivity even when adversaries attempt to disrupt or detect communications.

Within the Army’s command and control construct, L3Harris frames its systems as part of open, modular, data-centric architectures that can scale to division level and remain resilient under contested spectrum conditions. The company describes resilient transport as assured connectivity across multiple domains when spectrum is congested, terrain limits line of sight or adversaries try to deny access.

L3Harris says its radios can sense changing network conditions, select the best available path and fail over between line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight options. They are described as functioning as data routers with computing embedded at the edge, integrating raw data into usable information to create a shared operating picture for commanders.

Containerized systems on vehicles and dismounted platforms are described as brokering, normalizing and fusing local data streams so mission applications remain useful when bandwidth is degraded. Software-defined upgrades, multi-transport diversity and gateway functionality are presented as means to keep battlefield applications flowing without interruption across resilient networks.

L3Harris states that reusing existing installation kits while fielding LOCODA saves the Army time and money compared with prior systems. The company also characterizes the new radios as delivering enhanced capability relative to previously fielded communications equipment.

The firm adds that it continues to address Army requirements for data and voice at the edge with options tailored to specific mission needs. The new production orders reinforce the Army’s adoption of software-defined, multi-transport radio solutions aligned with its evolving command and control infrastructure.