Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, plans to expand its manufacturing capacity in Brazil to include several models of Falcon tactical radios in support of the Brazilian armed forces. The planned increase in capacity is part of an overall company expansion in Brazil, one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
Harris expects to begin conducting final assembly of the Falcon III RF-7800S Secure Personal Radio (SPR) and Falcon III RF-7800V VHF Combat Net Radio at an existing manufacturing facility. These radios will be delivered to the Brazil Ministry of Defense, including the Center of Communications and Electronic Warfare (CCOMGEX), to provide its armed forces with next-generation line-of-sight tactical communications.
“Harris is committed to serving as a trusted partner for mission-critical communication products and systems in Brazil in the broadest possible way,” said Brendan O’Connell, president, International Business, Harris RF Communications. “Once in place, our local operations will help create new highly skilled jobs within the national defense and public security sectors and provide benefits to our customers, including improved lead time and more direct access to our world-class customer support teams.”
Harris has more than 120 employees in Brazil supporting customers in tactical, public safety and government communications and integrated networking solutions. This includes a factory operation in Campinas, Brazil; design, development, support and sales offices in Sao Paulo, SP, Rio de Janeiro, RJ and Macae, RJ; and support offices in Brasilia and Manaus.
In tactical radios, Harris has received orders in calendar 2011 from Brazil’s military for the RF-7800V, RF-7800S and high-frequency radios. The RF-7800S is a lightweight soldier system radio that offers full-duplex voice capability, allowing simultaneous communication with unlimited listeners over a range of more than 2 kilometers. The RF-7800V provides high-speed data connectivity up to 192 Kbps, making it the fastest VHF combat net radio available.
Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $6 billion of annual revenue and about 17,000 employees — including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists.
