Army releases RFI for full-rate production of Manpack radio

The Army has initiated full and open competition for the full rate production phase of its Handheld, Manpack, Small Form Fit (HMS) radio program, the service said in a Nov. 26 news release.

The Army’s Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO-C3T) issued a request for information on Nov. 21 for the full rate production of the Manpack radio, the announcement said. The RFI seeks industry input for potential future procurements of the HMS Manpack radio for fiscal 2013 and beyond.

In October, the Army announced full and open competition for the HMS Rifleman Radio. The acquisition strategy for these procurements seeks to boost competition, lower costs and furnish the most effective communications systems for soldiers.

The Defense Department approved low-rate production for the HMS Manpack program on Oct. 11. The Army has so far bought 3,826 of the two-channel, software-defined radios, which are designed to enable lower-echelon soldiers carrying Rifleman Radios and Nett Warrior handheld devices to connect to the network backbone via the Soldier Radio Waveform and the Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) waveforms.