Officials of Northrop Grumman Corp. understand well the need for security, especially when it comes to communications to and among land forces. In an effort to secure critical data transmissions, the company has signed a contract with Harris RF Communications of Rochester, N.Y., for its Sierra II Type 1 encryption system to be employed as part of the U.S. Army’s Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below-Blue Force Tracking (FBCB2-BFT Type 1 COMSEC upgrade program.

Northrop Grumman’s Mission Systems division in Reston, Va., the system integrator for the FBCB2 program, is under contract with the U.S. Army Communications-Electronic Command at Fort Monmouth, N.J. Northrop Grumman is supplying the FBCG2 software, designed to work with various mounted and dismounted computer hardware platforms.

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The FBCB2 program encompasses Blue Force Tracking, a satellite communications-based tracking technique that automatically displays soldiers’ positions relative and those of friendly forces, enemy forces, and other threats. Situational awareness information is shared by way of computers mounted on Army combat and support vehicles and through the use of roof-mounted transponders/receivers, which send data via satellite to headquarters and other important locations.

“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,” recognizes Dick Rzepkowski, Harris RF Communications division vice president, Government Systems and Programs.

The Harris Sierra II software is implemented to ensure the security of this valuable information as it is transmitted via satellite for use by land forces. The contract awarded to Harris is initially valued at roughly $5 million, with a potential value of $70 million over a five-year period. For more information, visit www.harris.com.