Army Unveils Prophet in Washington, D.C. (12 June 2002)

Photo By Lori Stewart | The Prophet program began in 1998 as a replacement for the TRAILBLAZER, TEAMMATE, TRAFFICJAM, and lightweight man-transportable radio direction-finding set, all initially designed in the 1970s. Prophet’s distinctive collapsible antenna mast deployed in just ninety seconds.  

UNITED STATES

06.12.2023

Story by Lori Stewart 

U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence

by Lori S. Stewart, USAICoE Command Historian

12 JUNE 2002
On 12 June 2002, at the Army’s 227th birthday celebration on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the MI Corps unveiled its first new ground signals intelligence (SIGINT) system in decades—the Prophet (Block I). The Prophet program began in 1998 as a replacement for the TRAILBLAZER, TEAMMATE, TRAFFICJAM, and lightweight man-transportable radio direction-finding set, all initially designed in the 1970s. The new system, mounted on a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, could intercept and locate radio signals on the move, allowing ground forces to make rapid decisions on whether to engage or avoid enemy forces.

Lt. Gen. Robert Noonan, the deputy chief of staff for intelligence, served as keynote speaker for the event. He revealed early versions of Prophet were already in use in Afghanistan and receiving positive reviews. Edward Bair, program executive officer for intelligence, electronic warfare, and sensors, whose office developed and managed the system, declared, “The [Army] Chief of Staff's vision of the future is to see first, act first, kill first. The Prophet is truly transformational in that it supports the first part of the Army's vision. To see first, we must have persistent and pervasive intelligence-gathering capabilities.” The TRADOC systems manager, Col. Kevin Peterson, pointed out another key element of the new system: “This is the first time we’ve fielded tactical intelligence assets [in] direct support to a brigade.”

The Prophet was built by Titan Systems Corps, which delivered the system one year after being awarded a $7.9 million contract for six Block I systems. Future blocks would provide advanced capabilities over the next several years.

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• Date Taken: 06.12.2023
• Date Posted: 06.12.2023 10:42
• Story ID: 446752
• Location: US