ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 11 (UPI) -- Harris Corporation will provide an encryption solution for future U.S. Army satellite transmissions.
Harris announced Wednesday it had received a contract from Northrop Grumman valued at $5 million that could accrue to $70 million over five years.
The pact specifies Harris' Sierra II Type 1 encryption solution earmarked for the Army program dubbed Force XXI Battle Command Brigade - Below-Blue Force Tracking (FBCB2-BFT).
The system is designed to track the movements and positions of individual soldiers as well as enemy positions and potential hazards. In addition, it will facilitate rapid communications among units.
The bottom line is a smooth flow of the mounting amount of real-time data available to battlefield commanders.
"Blue Force Tracking technology came of age during operations in Iraq, and will provide superior performance on the battlefield as it expands the available data to allies and coalition partners," Harris Vice President Dick Rzepkowski explained in a news release.
The FBCB2 system runs through a computer terminal that can be mounted on a variety of Army vehicles equipped with a rooftop transponder/receiver that ships encrypted data to headquarters via satellite.
Harris said Sierra II met Northrop Grumman's requirement for an easy-to-program solution that will allow the overall development of the FBCB2 system to continue at a rapid pace.
