|
|
|
|
|
|
UK Combat Net Radio
Clansman is the name of an integrated radio system, sometimes called
a Combat Net Radio system (CNR), used by the British Armed Forces
between 1976 and 2010.
It was developed by the Signals Research and Development Establishment
(SRDE) in Christchurch (Dorset, UK) in the late 1960s,
as the replacement for the ageing Larkspur radio system.
Clansman equipment was not only much lighter than its predecessor, it also
proved to be more flexible and more reliable [1].
|
The basic requirements for the Clansman range were defined in 1965
in a so-called General Staff Requirement (GSR).
In the late 1960s, the British military research establishment SRDE [2]
started the development based on this specification.
The equipment itself was manufactured by Racal,
MEL (Philips)
and Plessey.
Apart from improved performance, Clansman introduced new modes of operation
to the British Armed Forces, such as SSB (Single Side Band)
and NBFM (Narrow Band Frequency Modulation).
The image on the right shows the
UK/PRC-319 manpack HF radio set.
|
|
|
Clansman was first introduced in the British Army in the late 1970s
and was actively used in most recent UK military operations, such as
the Falkland War in 1982 and the First Gulf War in 1991.
From the mid-2000s onwards, Clansman was being replaced by the new
digital Bowman communication system and the
equipment became available to collectors via the surplus market.
By 2010, Clansman was phased-out completely.
Some parts (crypto) are still secret today (2012).
|
The SRDE was established shortly after the end of WWII in 1948 [2].
It was based in Christchurch (Dorset, UK) until it was merged with the
Royal Radar Establishment (RRE) in Malvern (Worchester, UK) in 1980.
The new operation was called the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment
(RSRE) [3] which eventually was merged with other defence research
establishments [4] into the Defence Research Agency (DRA) in 1991.
After another series of restructuring [5], the DRA became part of the
Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in 1995, and was eventuall
split in 2001 into two separate organisations:
QinetiQ, a commercial company,
and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) [6].
In 2011, QinetiQ was the 6th largest UK defence contractor
and number 52 in the world [7].
|
|
|
Clansman equipment on this website
|
 |
|
|
The following equipment is part of or related to the Clansman family:
|
- UK/PRC-316
- UK/PRC-319
- UK/PRC-320
- UK/PRC-321
- UK/PRC-322
|
- UK/PRC-349
- UK/PRC-351
- UK/PRC-352
- UK/PRC-353
|
|
|
|
Any links shown in red are currently unavailable.
If you like this website, why not make a donation?
© Copyright 2009-2013, Paul Reuvers & Marc Simons. Last changed: Saturday, 21 December 2013 - 12:50 CET
|
 |
|
|
