The U.S. military relies on a family of software-defined radios that can switch between frequencies, waveforms, and communication modes depending on the mission. Rather than one universal radio, different roles get different hardware: a squad leader carries a lightweight handheld, a communications specialist humps a heavier manpack radio with satellite reach, and vehicles mount even more powerful systems. All of them share a common thread: they’re designed to resist jamming, encrypt everything, and talk to each other across services.
Handheld Radios for Dismounted Troops
The most widely carried tactical radio is the AN/PRC-152A, made by L3Harris under the Falcon III product line. It’s a multiband handheld that covers VHF, UHF, and wideband frequencies, giving a single soldier line-of-sight voice communication with nearby units and UHF satellite capability for longer reach. It works with both current military waveforms and legacy systems, so troops can talk to older radios still in the field or coordinate with public safety agencies during disaster response.
For units that need mobile ad hoc networking (where radios automatically relay signals through each other without a fixed base station), newer handhelds like the AN/PRC-163 and AN/PRC-148C are being fielded. These radios create self-forming mesh networks, meaning if one node goes down, traffic reroutes through other radios in range. They’re popular enough that many units have urgently requested funding for them even when older, functional radios were still available.
Manpack Radios for Longer Range
When a mission demands satellite communication or higher data speeds, troops carry manpack radios, larger systems worn on the back. The AN/PRC-117G is a workhorse in this category. Without its battery it weighs 8.2 pounds; with a battery, about 12 pounds. It supports a wide range of waveforms: SINCGARS and HAVEQUICK for legacy voice, the Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW) and ANW2 for wideband networking, and multiple UHF satellite protocols for beyond-line-of-sight communication.
The AN/PRC-155, built by General Dynamics, fills a similar role but stands out as the primary ground link to the MUOS satellite constellation. MUOS (Mobile User Objective System) is a network of satellites in high orbit that gives individual soldiers smartphone-like global connectivity, including voice calls, data, and messaging from virtually anywhere on Earth. The AN/PRC-155 is the only Department of Defense radio that has completed both developmental and operational testing with MUOS. It can run the MUOS waveform simultaneously with SINCGARS or SRW, so a soldier can maintain local tactical communication while also connected to the global satellite network.
The Legacy System Still in Wide Use
SINCGARS (Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System) has been a backbone of Army and Marine Corps communication for decades. The AN/PRC-119 ASIP variant replaced even older Vietnam-era radios and remains in service. It transmits voice and data up to 16 kilobits per second, which is slow by modern standards but reliable for voice communication and simple text messages. It has embedded encryption built directly into the hardware, so troops don’t need a separate security device.
What makes SINCGARS distinctive is its frequency hopping. During operation, the radio’s carrier frequency changes roughly 100 times per second across the tactical VHF band. This makes it extremely difficult for an adversary to intercept or jam the signal, because by the time a jammer locks onto one frequency, the radio has already moved to another. Frequency hopping was revolutionary when SINCGARS was introduced and remains a core anti-jamming technique across military radio systems today.
How Waveforms Differ
A “waveform” in military radio is essentially the software protocol that defines how a radio sends and receives data. Modern software-defined radios can load different waveforms the way a phone installs apps, which is what makes a single radio capable of talking to many different systems.
SINCGARS is a narrowband waveform, meaning it moves relatively small amounts of data but does so reliably over longer distances. It’s the default for basic tactical voice. The Soldier Radio Waveform operates in a much wider frequency range (225 MHz to 2.5 GHz) and can push data at up to 2 megabits per second. SRW has dedicated operating modes for electronic warfare situations, including low probability of intercept and detection modes that make the signal harder for enemies to even notice. ANW2, developed by L3Harris, offers bandwidths from 500 kilohertz to 5 megahertz and data rates from 22 kilobits per second up to roughly 10 megabits per second. It’s engineered to perform well in environments with heavy signal reflection and interference, making it useful in urban terrain or mountainous areas where radio waves bounce unpredictably.
Encryption and Security
Every tactical military radio encrypts its transmissions. The baseline standard for protecting classified information, including Top Secret material, uses AES-256 encryption for data confidentiality. Key exchanges rely on algorithms like RSA 3072 or elliptic curve methods, and data integrity is verified with SHA-384 hashing. In practice, this means the voice and data passing through these radios is wrapped in multiple layers of protection that would take current computing technology an impractical amount of time to break.
For the highest-security applications, the NSA’s approach layers two independent encryption tunnels on top of each other. Even if an attacker somehow compromised one layer, the second tunnel still protects the data. The components in each layer come from different vendors, reducing the risk that a single manufacturing vulnerability could expose the entire system.
Batteries and the Weight Problem
Radio performance is ultimately limited by power, and power means weight. The standard battery across many manpack systems is the BB-2590/U, a rechargeable lithium-ion pack that delivers 28.8 volts at 7.5 amp-hours. It weighs 3.1 pounds and measures roughly 4.4 by 2.4 by 5 inches, about the size of a thick paperback book. A soldier carrying an AN/PRC-117G with one battery is hauling 12 pounds before adding an antenna, handset, or spare batteries.
On extended patrols, communications specialists often carry two or three spare batteries, adding another 6 to 9 pounds to an already heavy load. This is one reason the military continues investing in lighter radios, more efficient waveforms, and longer-lasting battery chemistry. The weight of communication gear is a constant tension between capability and what a human body can realistically carry over rough terrain for hours or days.
Where Modernization Is Headed
The Army’s current modernization effort is called the Integrated Tactical Network, and its goal is to connect every echelon from a single soldier to a division headquarters into one seamless data network. This means radios need to carry not just voice but video feeds, GPS coordinates, sensor data, and chat messages, all in real time. The push for MANET-capable radios like the PRC-163 and commercial systems such as the TSM 900/950 and MPU5 reflects this shift. These radios prioritize high-bandwidth networking, allowing small units to share a common picture of the battlefield without relying on fixed infrastructure.
Satellite connectivity is also expanding. As MUOS matures and more radios receive software upgrades to support it, the ability for a dismounted soldier to access global communications will move from a specialty capability to a standard one. The broader trend across all branches is toward radios that are lighter, faster, harder to detect, and able to switch roles with a software update rather than a hardware swap.