Modernizing Army Communications
Thales Defense & Security secures order for 5,000 U.S. Army LOCODA RAT platforms to modernize communications.
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Thales Defense & Security, Inc. has won an order for up to 5,000 Low Cost Data Architecture (LOCODA) Radio Adaptable Transport (RAT) platforms for the U.S. Army, the company announced on June 23, 2026 Business Wire. The deal is the first major contract win for the Army's new Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate (G-TEAD), which was built to get technology to soldiers in under 180 days.
The RAT platform went from concept to field-ready in under four months — a pace nearly unheard of in Pentagon procurement. Gary Kidwell, Thales VP of Communications Systems, said: "The Army doesn't have time to wait for capability, and with the Thales LOCODA RAT solution, they didn't have to" Business Wire.
From Concept to Field-Ready in Under Four Months
Thales began designing the RAT platform in February 2026 Business Wire. By May 2026, the Army was already running field trials at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. Soldiers tested the system against real vehicle mounts. It passed. The Army placed the order weeks later.
The speed was made possible by G-TEAD, a directorate the Army stood up in mid-2025 Breaking Defense. Its director, Col. Christopher Hill, said his goal is to "weaponize" the acquisition system to be "flexible and responsive for the warfighter." The Thales order is the first proof that the approach works.
What the LOCODA RAT Does and Why It Matters
The RAT platform is a transport layer — it moves voice and data across any mission environment. It can switch between satellite, cellular (5G), and traditional radio frequencies depending on the threat Breaking Defense. Soldiers are no longer locked into one signal type. One system handles all of it.
The platform slots into existing vehicle radio mounts. No armor modifications. No rewiring. That lowers the cost and time of rolling out modern communications across the force Business Wire. The system supports over 120 users on a single flat network without using extra bandwidth, according to Thales Business Wire.
Thales Builds on a $6 Billion Army Radio Foothold
This order is not Thales' first big U.S. Army radio win. In 2022, the Army picked Thales and L3Harris to replace legacy SINCGARS radios under a $6.11 billion Combat Net Radio contract C4ISRNet. That earlier deal gave Thales deep roots in Army vehicle communications — roots that made the fast LOCODA development possible.
With this new order, the Army has now fielded or ordered over 14,000 IMBITR-based systems from Thales Military Embedded Systems. IMBITR stands for Improved Multi-Band Inter/Intra Team Radio — it is the core technology family behind the RAT platform. The order falls under the FY27 Defense Authorization Request, part of the $900.6 billion national defense budget approved in late 2025 IDGA.
Allied Interoperability and What Comes Next
The 5,000-unit order is for the U.S. Army, but the platform was built with allies in mind. Thales UK has already shown a similar version to the British Army Joint Forces News. The goal is for U.S. and U.K. vehicle platforms to communicate seamlessly on NATO's eastern flank. A cross-allied procurement deal could follow.
Some defense experts raise caution. Analysts at CSIS argue that fast-track acquisition like the LOCODA order can prioritize short-term tech fixes over long-term sustainability CSIS. Still, for now, the Army has 5,000 new radios coming — built in under four months and designed to work on any battlefield.
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