Netherlands acquiring new radios and C4I system under Foxtrot

L3Harris Technologies' AN/PRC-160 HF manpack radio, which enables forces to transmit video, voice, and data up to Top Secret Level, has been selected for the Netherlands Armed Forces. (L3Harris Technologies)

The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD) is equipping its armed forces with the AN/PRC-160 HF manpack radio from L3Harris Technologies in a bid to upgrade its tactical communications as part of the Foxtrot communications programme.

The authority is also planning to acquire a new tactical command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) network for its special operations forces (SOF).

Both are new requirements stipulated in the Defence Projects Overview (DPO) 2024, published on 15 May, which provides an outline of all the planned materiel, IT, and real estate projects valued over EUR25 million (USD27.2 million).

With regard to the radio requirement, the MoD is undertaking a new, comprehensive programme to replace its ageing high-frequency (HF) communication equipment across the armed forces. Radios such as the HF7000 long-range radio, which has reached the end of its technical service life, will be replaced with L3Harris Technologies' AN/PRC-160 radio.

According to the DPO, the AN/PRC-160 radio will streamline communications by consolidating the functionality of multiple separate radios into a single device, reducing the overall number of units required.

The AN/PRC-160 is designed as a size, weight, and power (SWaP)-optimised manpack that has a range of multiband and multimission capabilities. It covers the 1.5–60 MHz frequency range while providing 20 W HF and 10 W very-high-frequency (VHF) power and wideband data rates of up to 120 kbits/s. According to the company, the wideband HF feature provides higher throughput, and the ability to transmit video, voice, and data.

For more information on the new radio, please seeAN/PRC-160(V) manpack radio.