(By Balaseshan) General Dynamics Corp. (NYSE: GD) said a business unit has received an additional production order valued at about $306 million for 3,726 Handheld, Manpack, Small Form Fit (HMS) AN/PRC-155 Manpack radios from the U.S. Army.
General Dynamics C4 Systems said the two-channel PRC-155 radios, along with vehicle integration kits and related accessories, are part of the Army's Capability Set 13 networking and communications gear deploying with brigade combat teams next year.
General Dynamics began production of these radios in anticipation of this new production order and started deliveries to the Army in November. General Dynamics and Rockwell Collins Inc. (NYSE: COL) will manufacture the Manpack radios. Having two qualified manufacturers ensures the radios remain cost-competitive.
The two-channel PRC-155 Manpack radio has also been certified by the National Security Agency to communicate classified voice and data at the Top Secret level and below.
The certification makes the radio the only secure, two-channel networking radio to communicate data across the entire force structure between battalion headquarters and soldiers on foot and in vehicles.
The Army first purchased 100 AN/PRC-155 Manpack radios from General Dynamics in July 2011. The two-channel Manpack radio provides line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight, high-bandwidth waveforms for on-the-move voice, sensor, data and position-location capabilities on soldiers or in vehicles.
The Manpack radio is the first tactical radio capable of supporting all three of the Army's non-proprietary networking waveforms and is engineered to easily port additional waveforms as they become available.
GD is trading down 0.18 percent at $66.41 on Friday. The stock has been trading between $61.09 and $74.54 for the past 52 weeks.