First response gearThales’s Liberty LMR completes Department of Interior tests
Thales’s Liberty LMR has passed U.S. Department of Interior tests; the radio had earlier been approved for Law Enforcement and Tiers 1, 2, and 3; the company says the Liberty LMR, a software-defined radio solution, enables interoperability across all public safety bands, linking government agencies and first responders with a single portable radio
Thales' LMR enables interoperability across bands // Source: militaryaerospace.com
Thales’s Multiband Land Mobile Radio (LMR) has successfully completed fire radio testing by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) Radio Technical Service Center (TSC) test lab and by the National Interagency Fire Center. Having previously received TSC approvals for Law Enforcement and Tiers 1, 2, and 3, the Liberty radio is now fully approved for sale to DOI. The Liberty LMR’s Project 25 Over the-Air-Rekey has also been completed and successfully tested by TSC, adding capabilities for the Law Enforcement Tier. The company says that the Liberty LMR is a software-defined radio solution that enables interoperability across all public safety bands (136-174, 380-520, 700, 800 MHz), linking government agencies and first responders with a single portable radio. It operates in Project 25 (P25) conventional, P25 trunked, and legacy analog modes with Output Feedback Data Encryption Standard (OFB DES) and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).
The radio is Mil Spec rugged and submersible to two meters. Other key features significant for DOI include Front Panel Programming, Zone Cloning, a AA Clamshell Battery for operation where power is not available, and Tone Picklists. The radio, which was Factory Mutual certified Intrinsic Safe earlier this year, is manufactured at the company’s Clarksburg, Maryland, headquarters.
“DOI Fire and Law Enforcement personnel now have a fully-approved, multiband radio,” said Michael Sheehan, president and CEO of Thales Communications, Inc. “The Liberty radio is a complete solution and is in the field today serving our nation’s first responders.”
The company notes that for participating DOI and U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies and bureaus (including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Forest Service, Geologic Service, and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services), the Liberty LMR is available through contract number GS-TFMG-BPA-09-0012.
