SCHUMER: HARRIS CORP. TO MAKE RADIOS UNDER NEW U.S. ARMY CONTRACT WORTH UP TO $3.9 BILLION; SENATOR SAYS ARMY RECOGNIZES ROCHESTER COMPANY PROVIDES THE MOST DURABLE, DEPENDABLE AND INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY

Federal Investment Is Critical To Growth Of Rochester & Harris Corp

Schumer: Contract Is A Win For Our Troops, Harris, And The Rochester-Finger Lakes Regional Economy

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that Harris Corp., in Rochester, New York, has been selected by the U.S. Army to manufacture 1,540 AN/PRC-163 (Leader Radio) two-channel handheld radios, as well as additional equipment to mount the radios on military vehicles.  This is the first order of radios that Harris will produce under the Army’s new $3.9 billion Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) “Leader Radio” contract. As a winner of the Army’s Leader Radio contract, Harris is one of two vendors that will provide up to $3.9 billion worth of these new two-channel radios to fulfill the Army’s needs.

“This well-earned contract will support jobs at Harris, in addition to boosting the entire Rochester-Finger Lakes economy. Harris has proven time and time again that it can make superior radios for the U.S. military and our allies around the world,” said Senator Schumer. “I was proud to work on behalf of this world-class producer of radios, and will always fight for investments that both protect our troops and provide a shot in the arm to the Rochester-Finger Lakes economy.”

“Senator Schumer’s longstanding support has been vital to Harris’ ability to deliver the industry’s most advanced tactical radios to our warfighters, and enabling us to maintain our strong workforce and overall presence in the Rochester community,” said Harris Corporation Chairman, President and CEO William Brown.

The announcement comes after Senator Schumer’s push on behalf of Harris Corp., urging a full and fair Army procurement process for the Leader Radio to ensure that companies like Harris Corp. would have an even playing field to compete. The Leader Radio is a versatile, two-channel, handheld radio that has the ability to transmit a wide variety of signals and communications by integrating two-channels within one device. The new two-channel Leader radios will replace the Army’s current single-channel Rifleman Radio. The new two-channel radios provide additional capabilities to enable Army forces to communicate and coordinate multiple missions in real time by having easy access to both radio channels at the same time on a single device.    

###