US Navy completes FleetLink communications trials aboard Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

On November 12, 2026, L3Harris Technologies announced the completion of U.S. Navy operational testing for its FleetLink communications system aboard an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer. Developed under the Navy's 2023 Scalable, Modular, Radio Cluster (SMRC) contract, FleetLink combines software-defined radios, multiple waveforms, data integration functions, and National Security Agency (NSA)-certified cryptography across three configurations: four-channel high-frequency (HF), four-channel multi-band, and submarine multi-band systems. The modernization replaces legacy shipboard radio equipment to maintain secure, beyond-line-of-sight communications between dispersed surface warships and submarines when satellite links are unavailable or conventional line-of-sight transmissions cannot cover required distances.

The U.S. Navy has completed testing of L3Harris FleetLink aboard an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, a new radio system designed to help warships and submarines communicate securely over long distances, including when satellite communications are disrupted or unavailable.(Picture source: US Navy)

Key Tactical Insights:

• Operational Testing Milestone: FleetLink completed at-sea operational evaluation aboard an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, demonstrating data integration and secure information exchange under real-world maritime conditions without relying exclusively on satellite links.

• Three Modular Configurations: Built under the 2023 SMRC contract, the architecture consists of three distinct hardware variants: a four-channel high-frequency (HF) system, a four-channel multi-band system, and a specialized multi-band variant for submarines.

• Cryptography and Waveform Integration: The system pairs software-defined radios and multiple communications waveforms with National Security Agency (NSA)-certified cryptography to protect data shared between surface warships and submarines.

• Legacy Fleet Modernization: FleetLink replaces aging shipboard radios and complements wider U.S. Navy network upgrades, such as the AN/USQ-195(V) Battle Force Tactical Network (BFTN+), to maintain beyond-line-of-sight HF connectivity when satellite communications are contested or unavailable.

On November 12, 2026, L3Harris Technologies announced the completion of the U.S. Navy's operational testing of its FleetLink communications system aboard an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, three years after receiving the Scalable, Modular, Radio Cluster (SMRC) development contract in 2023. The FleetLink combines software-defined radios, multiple communications waveforms, data integration functions, and National Security Agency (NSA)-certified cryptography to replace aging naval radio equipment. Its three configurations comprise four-channel high-frequency (HF), four-channel multi-band, and submarine multi-band systems for surface and underwater operations.

The modernization addresses several limitations of the existing communications equipment, including the AN/USQ-195(V) Battle Force Tactical Network (BFTN), whose HF and UHF networking capabilities operate at 19.2 kbps and 64 kbps, respectively. The objective behind the FleetLink is to maintain secure communications between dispersed warships and submarines when satellite connections are unavailable or conventional line-of-sight radio links cannot cover the required distances. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers measure 153.92 to 155.29 meters, displace 8,230 to 9,700 long tons, and use four General Electric LM2500 gas turbines producing 100,000 shaft horsepower for speeds exceeding 30 knots, while Flight IIA and Flight III variants carry two MH-60R helicopters, with respective complements of 329 and 359 personnel. 

Related Topic: US Navy's first San Antonio Flight II amphibious warship USS Harrisburg completes sea trials with over 200 design changes 

Flight IIIs also incorporate the Aegis Baseline 10 and the AN/SPY-6(V)1 radar, whose four fixed arrays each contain 37 radar modular assemblies, replacing the AN/SPY-1-series radar architecture of earlier ships. Integrating FleetLink subsequently requires compatibility with existing antenna multicouplers, radio-frequency distribution, cryptographic interfaces, power supplies, and cooling systems while limiting interference from radars, electronic warfare equipment, and other transmitters. Four radio channels do not necessarily provide four simultaneous independent transmissions, since antenna availability, transmitter isolation, and receiver protection determine usable capacity during concurrent operations. 

The FleetLink enters a naval communications architecture that already includes General Dynamics' AN/USC-61(C) Digital Modular Radio (DMR), a four-channel software-programmable system operating across frequencies from 2 MHz to 2 GHz and supporting HF beyond-line-of-sight, VHF/UHF line-of-sight, and UHF satellite communications. The DMR modernization included Integrated Waveform, MUOS, SATURN, SINCGARS, transmission security, and third-generation Automatic Link Establishment (3G ALE). The FleetLink retains a four-channel architecture in its HF and multi-band configurations but separates long-range HF requirements from broader frequency-band support and submarine installations. Its HF version addresses communications across naval frequencies generally extending from 2 to 30 MHz, where ionospheric propagation allows signals to reach receivers hundreds or thousands of kilometers away without satellites.

The multi-band configuration can consolidate different radio services within a modular equipment arrangement, while the submarine version must accommodate mast antennas, radio-room interfaces, and the restrictions imposed by submerged operations. Moreover, HF ionospheric propagation can support connections over hundreds or thousands of kilometers, but usable frequencies change with distance and atmospheric conditions. The AN/USQ-195(V) Battle Force Tactical Network (BFTN) provides a measurable baseline for understanding the Navy's existing non-satellite data communications limitations. The BFTN uses High Frequency Internet Protocol (HFIP) and Subnet Relay (SNR) to provide HF networking at 19.2 kbps over 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) and UHF networking at 64 kbps over 20 nautical miles (37.04 km).

At these rates, transferring 1 MB requires a theoretical 6 minutes 57 seconds over HF or 2 minutes 5 seconds over UHF, while 10 MB requires 69.4 minutes or 20.8 minutes, excluding retransmissions and protocol overhead. These limitations favor short operational orders, position updates, and contact reports over continuous imagery or high-volume sensor transfers. Follow-on operational testing in 2019 also exposed deficiencies in three-node HF networking, where intermediate stations must forward messages while sharing limited channel capacity. BFTN+ Increment 1 consequently introduced the phased replacement of two legacy HF channels on ships without modern software-defined radios, followed by waveform and network-management improvements targeted for FY2026. 

The BFTN+ also incorporates Always On/Always Connected (AOAC) network management and the Robust Communications for Challenging Environments (RoCCE) waveform to improve HF connectivity under changing propagation conditions. HF links across 2 to 30 MHz depend on ionospheric behavior, meaning frequencies suitable for 500 km connections may not support 3,000 km links, particularly when solar activity, latitude, or time of day changes. Interference, multipath propagation, inter-symbol interference, and inter-carrier interference further reduce effective throughput and increase retransmissions. Consequently, a Naval Postgraduate School research in 2021 examined orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) and multicarrier transmission to address these limitations.

RoCCE addresses waveform reliability, while AOAC automates frequency selection, link monitoring, and connection restoration, reducing the need for manual intervention. The FleetLink provides a potential radio-equipment component within this wider modernization effort, whereas the BFTN+ addresses the networking functions needed to maintain communications between several ships rather than isolated point-to-point connections. Moreover, the FleetLink's submarine configuration must integrate with the Common Submarine Radio Room (CSRR), managed by the U.S. Navy's PMW 770 Undersea Communications and Integration program. Associated equipment includes the OE-538 Multi-Function Mast, supporting functions from very-low-frequency (VLF) through UHF, and Submarine High Data Rate (SubHDR), which provides EHF and military SHF satellite communications, including Global Broadcast Service reception.

The Low Band Universal Communications System (LBUCS) separately modernizes ten high-power submarine broadcast transmitter stations. Conventional HF, VHF, and UHF transmissions require submarines to expose suitable antennas near the surface because seawater strongly attenuates these frequencies, while VLF permits limited submerged reception at much lower data rates. The FleetLink could standardize compatible radio functions and encryption across surface vessels and submarines, but submarine connectivity remains constrained by operating depth, mast exposure, transmission discipline, and antenna availability. 

The operational requirement is particularly evident in the Western Pacific, where Guam lies 1,500 to 1,700 km from Taiwan, 2,400 to 2,600 km from Okinawa, and 2,800 to 3,000 km from Philippine Sea approaches east of Luzon. Two ships with antennas 30 meters above sea level have a combined geometric radio horizon of 39 km, while an aircraft at 9,000 meters can extend the geometric horizon to 340 km from a ship with a 30-meter antenna, excluding atmospheric refraction. Destroyers separated by several hundred nautical miles therefore require HF, satellite communications, or airborne relays, with HF connections in the Indo-Pacific affected by ionospheric scintillation and the equatorial ionization anomaly.

North Atlantic and Arctic operations face different constraints from auroral absorption, geomagnetic storms, polar-cap absorption, and high-latitude satellite geometry. Under degraded broadband connectivity, a destroyer may still transmit short orders and contact reports over HF but lose the capacity for continuous sensor-data exchange, increasing reliance on local sensors and delegated tactical decisions. The FleetLink's operational relevance lies in maintaining several usable communications circuits across these conditions, provided its waveforms, antennas, and network interfaces support reliable connections between dispersed naval units.

Explore More Defense News

• Land Defense News
• Naval Defense News
• Defense Aerospace News

Written by Jérôme Brahy - Defense Analyst

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, focusing on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters globally.