Iris Technology Launches Merlin Handheld+: The Only Radio Power and Data Adapter Built for the AN/PRC-163 with Integrated Scavenging and Mission-Configurable Cable Architecture
Publish Date: 2026-05-13 07:08:00
Source Domain: www.prnewswire.com
Addresses the power and data complexity facing dismounted SOF teams running Nett Warrior on
the AN/PRC-163 — without adding weight, cables, or complexity to the kit.
IRVINE, Calif., May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Iris Technology today announced the official launch of the Merlin Handheld+, a compact, rugged radio power and data adapter engineered around the real-world configuration demands of the AN/PRC-163 in dismounted SOF operations. Unveiled at SOF Week 2026 in Tampa, Florida, the Merlin Handheld+ is the only device in its class combining integrated power scavenging with mission-configurable cable architecture — capabilities designed to reduce operator burden, extend mission endurance, and eliminate the improvised workarounds that compromise comms reliability downrange.
Iris Technology Merlin Handheld+ PRC-163 Radio Power + Data Adapter
THE OPERATIONAL PROBLEM
The AN/PRC-163 is a significant capability step forward for dismounted teams. But the moment it is integrated into a full Nett Warrior configuration — EUD connected, Red/Black separated, mission accessories in play — the power and data architecture around it becomes the operational challenge. Cable management multiplies. Battery status becomes a separate task. Hot-swap is not built in. And when the mission shifts, reconfiguring the setup at the wire means starting from scratch or improvising.
The radio is not the limitation. The surrounding power and data architecture is. The Merlin Handheld+ was built to change that.
WHAT THE MERLIN…
