Reliability and innovation are the keys to SINCGARS success: 250,000 units -- and counting!

In today's technology-based military, a quarter million of anything beyond beans and bullets is extremely rare. So how is it possible that a single combat radio -- SINCGARS -- just passed the 250,000-unit milestone and continues to receive orders for tens of thousands of additional units from the U.S. and allied forces?

It comes down to one word: evolution. For more than two decades, SINCGARS radios have been continuously modernized to meet the changing needs of battlefield soldiers.

When ITT produced its first SINCGARS radio back in 1983, the unit was the size of two shoeboxes and weighed 18 pounds. Even at that size, it was immediately embraced by the U.S. Army for its ground-breaking innovations. Its frequency-hopping capabilities meant that voice signals could be transmitted across many channels, in a sequence known to the sender and receiver -- but not to enemies and eavesdroppers. The result was a radio that couldn't be jammed and messages that couldn't be stolen.

Over time, the radio has gotten both smaller and more powerful. Today, SINCGARS are half the size and less than half the weight of the earliest models, and combine voice and data communications with GPS anti-jamming features and a networking capability

Military commanders value the radio because it has enabled them to realize their goal of creating a secure tactical internet on the battlefield. In 1997, when ITT was selected as the sole SINCGARS producer, the U.S. Army called it "The best combat net radio in the world -- bar none." 

Soldiers love SINCGARS because it is so reliable.

"When it comes to soldier-level communications, reliability can mean the difference between life and death," says Jennifer Schoonover, senior manager for VHF communication programs. "SINCGARS has survived for so long because durability and reliability are never sacrificed in pursuit of other innovations. Every step forward has come with improved reliability and performance intact."

250,000 units are currently operating globally from Korea to Iraq, and more are on the way. ITT is currently receiving orders for more than 70,000 radios -- part of a seven-year, $2.5 billion contract from the U.S. Army signed in November 2004.