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RadioCompendiumPostedon01October2013byadmin

RADIO:TheGoldenAgeofWirelessTheglobaltacticalradiomarketseemstobeingoodhealth,despiteslowdownsindefencespending,particularlyinEuropeandtheUnitedStates.Newproductsareenteringthedomain,whileseveralimportantprogrammesaremovingsteadilyforward.

TomWithington

InearlyJuly2013theStrategyAnalyticsconsultancycompanybasedintheUnitedStatespredictedgoodnewsfortheglobalmilitarytacticalcommunicationsmarket.ItsGroundCommunicationsSystemsandComponentsForecast20122022predictedthatthemarketwillgrowatarateof7.2percentannually,reachingupto$4.5billionbytheendoftheforecastperiod.Thereportaddedthathandheldtransceiverswillconstitutethebulkofthemarket,encompassing49percentofthemarketvalue,and94percentofshipments.Thisisperhapsunsurprisinggiventhatarmieswilltendtoalwayshavefarmorehandheldsetsintheirpossessionandonorder,comparedtovehicularorfixedsitetransceivers.Inaddition,althoughsinglebandradioswillstillbeindemand,theanalysispredictsthatthedemandformultibandradios,i.e.whichcancoverthe330Megahertz(Mhz)HighFrequency(HF),30300MhzVeryHighFrequency(VHF)and3003000MhzUltraHighFrequency(UHF)sectionsofthespectrumwillincrease.DespitethesqueezeondefencespendingbeingwitnessedintheUnitedStatesatpresent,thecountryisstillpredictedtobethebiggestspenderontacticalradioproductsdespitetheextensivereorganizationoftheerstwhileJointTacticalRadioSystem(JTRS)initiative.

JTRS

Indeed,undoubtedlyoneofthebiggestupsetsinthetacticalradiosworldoverthepasttwelvemonthshasbeentheextensiverestructuringoftheUnitedStatesJointTacticalRadioSystem(JTRS).TherationalebehindtheJTRSprogrammewastoreplaceahostofdisparateradiosinuseacrossthecountrysarmedforceswithafamilyofsoftwaredefinedradios(SDRs)whichwoulduseasetofwaveformstoperformtheirspecificfunctions,asopposedtohavingalarge,diverserangeofradiosacrossplatformsandpersonnelwhichwouldnotneatlyintermeshwithoneanother.

TheJTRSwastobedevelopedundertheauspicesofitsownJointProgramExecutiveOffice(JPEO)whichhadbeenestablishedin2005tomanagetothevariouselementsoftheJTRSprogramme.TheseincludedthenowdefunctGroundMobileRadio(GMR),theHandheld,ManpackandSmallFormFit(HMS),theAirborne,MaritimeandFixedStation(AMF)radios,theMultifunctionInformationDistributionSystem(MIDS)andtheNetworkEnterpriseDomain(NED).

Asdiscussedbelow,theGroundMobileRadiohasnowbeenreplacedbytheMultitierNetworkingVehicularRadio(MNVR),althoughtheHMSinitiativehassurvived.Inaddition,theAMFandMIDSworkstrandshavealsoavoidedtheaxe,althoughitisofnotethattheserespectiveprogrammeshavenowbeentransferredtotheauspicesoftheservices.Forexample,theHMSandAMFprojectsarenowunderthesupervisionoftheUSArmy,alongwiththeMNVRprogramme,withtheMIDSworkfallingunderthepurviewoftheUSNavy.TheNEDworkstrand,meanwhile,hasbeenrenamedastheJointTacticalNetwork(JTN)programmeandisnowundertheresponsibilityofthenewlyestablishedJointTacticalNetworkingCentre(JTNC),whichisresponsibleforensuringthatthewaveformsandtechnologydevelopedasaconsequenceoftheJTRSprogramme,andwhicharecontinuingdevelopment,caninteroperatewithoneanotheraspertheoriginalspiritoftheprogramme.TheJTNCisalsotaskedwithdevelopingthewaveformsthatthefuturecommunicationssystemsbeingprocuredwilluse.Inessence,whiletheformalJTRSprogrammemaynowbedeadandburiedasignificantquantityoftheprogrammesoriginalscopeliveson.

FortheUSArmy,evenwiththerestructuringoftheJTRSprogramme,theprocurementofitsfuturecommunicationsremainsamajorundertaking.Upto120,000handheldradios,whichfallundertheauspicesoftheHMSundertakinghavestilltobeprocured.ThiswilloccurunderthefullrateproductionphaseoftheRifleman



handheldradios,whichfallundertheauspicesoftheHMSundertakinghavestilltobeprocured.ThiswilloccurunderthefullrateproductionphaseoftheRiflemanRadioproject(seebelow).Inadditiontheservicehastoacquire68,000manpacktransceiversandupto2,000vehicularsystemsaspartoftheMNVRscheme,nottomentionthepotentialacquisitionofupto7,000networkingradiosforairborneforces.Allinall,thiscouldgenerateabillofupto$750million.

ConcerningtheRiflemanRadio,sofar,twolowrateinitialproductionprojectshaveseen19,327Thales/GeneralDynamicsAN/PRC154RiflemanRadiosbeingorderedaspartoftheoriginalHMSelement.AsimilarLRIPhasseenGeneralDynamicsandRockwellCollinstappedfor3,726AN/PRC155manpacks.TheRiflemanradiohassurvivedthedemiseoftheUSarmedforcesJTRSinitiative,alongwithseveralotherfacetsofthatprogrammediscussedinthisarticle.AlthoughthousandsofAN/PRC154setsarecurrentlybeingprocured,theUSArmyisreopeningtheRiflemanprocurement.ThiswillseeanumberofcompanieslininguptoprovidethearmywithnewradiosastheRiflemanprogrammemovestowardsfullrateproduction.ContendersincludeHarris,NorthropGrumman,BAESystemsandITTExelis,inadditiontoThalesandGeneralDynamics.ContractsfortheRiflemanfullrateproductionandthefullrateproductionforthemanpackradiosareexpectedtobeawardedin2014.

TotrulycomprehendtheJTRSprogramme,oneneedstounderstandalittleaboutthesystemitwillreplace,namelytheSingleChannelGroundandAirborneRadioSystem(Sincgars),andtheSoldierRadioWaveform(SRW)andWidebandNetworkingWaveform(WNW).

TheSincgarsisnotaspecificbrandoftransceiverbutinsteadreferstoarangeofradiosinusewiththeUnitedStatesarmedforces,andwithanumberofAlliednationswhichareconfiguredtousetheSincgarsprotocol.TheuseofthisprotocolenablesinteroperabilitybetweenSincgarsequippednations.TheSincgarseffectivelyprovidesthebasistothephilosophywhichunderpinnedtheJTRSprogramme.Sincgarsradioshandlevoiceanddatacommunicationsacross25khzchannelsintheVHFrange.Theseradiosareavailableinvehicular,manpack,airborneandhandheldconfigurationsandcanperformbothsinglefrequencyandfrequencyhoppingtransmissions,thelatterbeingperformedat111hopspersecond.BothITTExelisandGeneralDynamicswere,andremain,heavilyinvolvedintheSincgarsprogramme.Infact,ITTExelis(orITTasthecompanywasthenknown),wonthecontractinNovember1983forthefirstSincgarsradiotoequipgroundtroops,withGeneralDynamicsbeingawardedafurthergroundradiocontractinJuly1988.ThenewradioswhichwillbeprocuredviatheerstwhileJTRSprogrammewillsupporttheSincgarswaveform.Thisiscrucialasitwillenablesoldiersusingtheselegacysystemstocommunicatewiththeircounterpartsequippedwiththenewsystems.ItwillalsoallowthoseUSalliesequippedwithSincgarsradiostodothesamething.Therefore,althoughSincgarswasoriginallydesignedtoreplacetheVietnameraradiosusedbytheAmericansthere,itremainsaveryimportanttacticalradiosystem.Infact,theUnitedStatesisexpectedtoretaintheSincgarsinuseuntilcirca2030asitintroducesitsnewreplacementradios.ThisunderlinesjusthowimportantinteroperabilityisbetweentheexJTRSandSincgarsdomains.

WhiletheSincgarsprovidedaquantumleapinconnectivityandsecurityonthebattlefield,itwasprimarilydesignedasavoiceradio.DuringtheColdWarwhenthemainthreattoNatowasthespectreofRedArmytroopsdashingthroughtheFuldaGapandHofCorridorthiswasnotdeemedaproblem.HoweverthesocalledRevolutioninMilitaryAffairstheoryonthesupremacyoftechnologicalpoweronthebattlefieldwhichevolvedinthe1970sand1980s,butwhichhadgainedprominenceinthe1990sandthepostColdWareraservedtoincreasinglyheightentheimportanceofthedistributionofdataandimageryonthebattlefield.TheSoldierRadioWaveform(SRW),developedaspartoftheJTRSprogramme,isareflectionofthisphenomenon.Inessence,theSRWprovidesmobileadhocdataandvoicecommunicationsinthehandsoftheindividualsoldier.

Thechallengebehinditsdevelopmentwastoprovideasecureandhighbandwidthmeansofcommunicationwhichcouldsurvivetherigoursofthebattlefield,andmostimportantlyattemptstodisruptcommunications,andstillfunction.Thishadtobeachievedusinglowpower,smallandlightweightradios.Itisaruleofthumbincommunicationsthatmuchcanbeachievedwithhugeamountsofpowerandlotsofcircuitry.Asthecivilianmobilephoneworldhasillustrated,slimmingdownfroma1980sbricksizedmobileintoatrimsmartphonecanbequiteachallenge,andquiteacost.TheSRWisbeingrolledoutacrosstheUSarmedforcesinaseriesofsoftwareincrements,whichallowsthenewSRWstandardstobeeasilyportedintoradiosasandwhentheyaredeveloped,inasimilarfashiontoasoftwareupgradeforaciviliancellphone.

Forallintentsandpurposes,theSRWlinksupwardstotheWidebandNetworkingWaveform(WNW).WhereastheSRWhasspectrumallotmentsof1.2Mhztomoveitsvoice,imageryanddatatraffic,theWNWsupportssimilarallotments,butcanalsosupportallotmentsofthreeorfivemegahertz,andeven30megahertzwhenavailable.Thistranslatesintoahigherthroughputoftraffic.WhereasindividualsoldiersaretheprimaryusersoftheSRW,theWNWisdesignedtoprovideacommunicationsbackboneknittingtogethergroundandairplatforms.Becausesuchplatformstendtohavemorepowerandmorespace,thiscantranslateintohigherquantitiesofvoice,dataandimagerytrafficwhichtheirradioscanhandle.

BAESystems

ThisBritishbaseddefencecompany,whichhasamajorpresenceinNorthAmerica,isheavilyinvolvedanimportantelementoftheerstwhileJTRSprogramme.Inparticular,thefirmhasdevelopedtheWidebandNetworkingWaveformAntiJam(WNWAJ)mode.BAESystemsrecentlydemonstratedtheantijammodeoftheWNWusingthefirmsownPhoenixradiosduringatestperformedatJointBaseMcGuireDixLakehurstwhichdemonstratedthattheseradioscouldsecurelycommunicatewithoneanotheracrossruggedterrain.

ThePhoenixfamilyincludesthePhoenixSC,Phoenix2CandPhoenix4C.DesignedasMNVRs,theseradioscanportnotonlyexistingwaveforms,butwaveformsexpectedtobecomeavailableinthefuture.ThePhoenixSCaccommodatestwochannelsforWNWandSRWcommunications,thelatterofwhichisusedbydismountedtroopstoconnectthemtoanetwork,plustwoSincgarschannels.ThisenablestheradiotolinkwithexistingtransceiversrunningSincgarscompatiblewaveforms,whilealsorunningtheWNWandSRWwaveformsdevelopedasaresultofJTRS.ThisthereforeprovidesausefullinkagebetweenlegacyandfutureUSandAlliedtacticalradios.ThePhoenix2C,meanwhile,providestwochannelsforWNWandSRWcommunications,withthePhoenix4Csupportingthesamewaveforms,butviafourchannels.

Barrett

InDecember2012,AustraliasBarrettCommunicationsannouncedthatit

hadreceivedcertificationandapprovalfromtheUnitedStatesNationalTelecommunicationsandInformationAdministration(NTIA)whichcompletesinteroperabilityrequirementstoallowBarretts2050HFtransceiver,2020faxanddataproduct,and2060HFtelephoneinterconnectsystemtobeacquiredandusedbygovernmentalorcommercialbodiesintheUnitedStates.Thecompanys2050HFtransceivercoversthe1.630Megahertz(Mhz)frequencyspread,andiscertifiedtoMilitaryStandard188141B(MilStd188141B)forAutomaticLinkEstablishment.Optionalfrequencyhoppingcanbeinstalledinthetransceivertoenhancesecurity,andthesystemalsomeetsMilStd810Gforresistancetoshock,vibration,dustingressanddrop.Upto500programmablechannelsareincluded,anditcanoperateintemperaturesof30Cupto+70C.

The2050HFtransceiverisoneofthreesuchproductsmanufacturedbyBarrettCommunications.Thefirms2030HFSSBtransceiverhasanHFtransmitfrequencyrangeof1.630Mhz,andareceptionrangeof250kilohertz(Khz)to30Mhz.Theradiohasupto500programmablechannelsandcanworkinsimilarlyharshtemperaturestothe2050HF.Likethelatterproduct,the2030HFcanincludeoptionalfrequencyhoppingwhichitcanachieveatarateoffiveor25hopspersecondwhenusinganexternalsynchronizationunit.ItalsocompliestoMilStd810regulations.Barretts2060HFmanpackhassimilartransmitandreceivefrequenciestothetwotransceiversdiscussedabove,andcanhostupto500simplexorsemiduplexchannels.

Codan

FollowingCodanslaunchofitsEnvoySDRHFradiosinJune2012,thecompanyhasbegunshippingtransceivers.WhenitwasreleasedCodanstatedthattheEnvoywasthemostadvancedcommercialHFradiointheworld.SeveralstandardfeaturesareincludedontheEnvoy,suchasAutomaticLinkEstablishmenthighspeeddatatransmissionsandreceptionabuiltinGlobalPositioningSystemandencryption.Moreover,theradiocanbeoptimized

forbasestation,mobileanddeployedoperations.EaseofoperationhasbeenbuiltintotheEnvoywiththeadditionofaniconbaseduserinterfaceinasimilarfashiontothatwhichcanbefoundonciviliansmartphones.AnInternetProtocol(IP)interfacemakesiteasytointegratetheEnvoyintoestablishedcommunicationsnetworks.AlthoughthedestinationofthefirstshipmentsofEnvoyradioswasnotrevealedbyCodan,thefirmdidannouncethatthetransceiverscommenceddeliveriesinDecember2012.

Datron

Whiletherestrictingandonwardmarch

oftheUnitedStatesoverarching

militarycommunicationsmodernizationprogrammeformallyknownasJTRS

(seeabove),wasinevidencelastyear,

itwasrevealedthatDatronWorldCommunicationsPRC7700HHHFtacticalmanpackradiohadreceivedJointInteroperabilityTestCommand(JITC)certification.Inparticularthiscertified

theradiotoMILSTD188141B.Whatthismeansinpracticeisthattheradiomeetsinteroperabilityandperformancerequirementsformediumandhighfrequency



theradiotoMILSTD188141B.Whatthismeansinpracticeisthattheradiomeetsinteroperabilityandperformancerequirementsformediumandhighfrequencyradiosparticularlyasregards

toAutomaticLinkEstablishment.

DatronsPRC7700HisanHFSDR

whichcanbeusedasafixedsite,orasamanpackradio.Ithasatransmitpowerofupto25Wandsupportsbothvoiceanddatacommunications.

EID

PortugalsEIDwascelebratingthenewsinJuly2013thatithadbeencontractedbythearmedforcesofBangladeshtosupplyCD116DigitalFieldSwitchboardswhichwillsupporttheBangladeshiArmystacticalcommunicationssystem.TheCD116isdesignedfornetworkscarryingvoiceanddatatraffic.Itcanmanageanumberofdiversecommunicationssystems.Thesecanincludeanaloguetelephones,combatnetradios,analogueanddigitalpubliccommunicationsnetworks,anddigitalterminalscarryingvoiceanddatatraffic.

ElbitSystems

MaintainingaprominentpresenceatlastyearsEurosatoryexhibitioninParis,IsraelsElbitSystemsispromotingitstacticalradioswhicharedesignedtomeetawiderangeofuserrequirements.Duringtheshow,thefirmshowcaseditsPNR1000A,SDR7200HH,SDR7200,MIPRandCNR9000HDRallofwhicharemarketedunderthecompanysTadiranproductline.ThePNR1000AcoverstheVHF/UHF225512Mhzrangeandisdesignedasafullduplexpersonalradiofordismountedsoldiers.Threepoweroutputsareachievablewiththesetnamelysettingsof0.5,1Wand2W.Althoughtheradiohasadatarateofupto320kilobitspersecond(kbps),thisisexpectedtoincreaseto1megabitpersecond(mbps)inthefuture.Batterypowerprovidessufficientoperationforupto20hoursuse,andtheradiocanfunctionintemperaturesof30Cupto+65C.

ElbitsSDR7200HHis,likethePNR1000A,ahandheld,softwaredefinedradio.Itcanoffersimultaneousvoiceandvideo,orvoiceanddatacommunicationsusingasingle25khznarrowbandchannel.CoveringtheHF/VHF/UHF30512Mhzrange,theSDR7200HHprovidescommunicationssecurityandahighdegreeofresistancetocountermeasures.TheradioisSCA2.2standardcompliantandincludesbothnarrowband(30512Mhz)andwideband(225512Mhz)waveformsintheradiosrepository.Whenusingthenarrowbandwaveform,theradiocanmove115kbpsbutthisincreasesto1mbpswhenthewidebandwaveformisutilized.AbuiltinGPSisincludedtoaidblueforcetracking,andthecompanysaysthatthisradioisinteroperablewithlegacyTadirantransceivers.Allofthisfunctionalityisenclosedinapackageweighing650grams,includingthebattery,whichprovides14hoursoperation.

TheSDR7200HHssisterproduct,theSDR7200,isavehicularsoftwaredefinedradio.SimultaneousvoiceanddatatrafficcanbehandledbytheSDR7200whichhasanarrowwavebandof25Khztohandleupto115kbps,inasimilarfashiontotheSDR7200HHdiscussedabove.SCA2.2compliant,theSDR7200usesfrequencyhoppingtopreservesecurityandcanportbothcurrent,andfuture,waveforms.Meanwhile,thecompanysMIPR(MilitaryIPRadio)hasbeendesignedtoprovidehighspeedbroadbandcommunicationsservicesonthebattlefield,handlingupto13.3mbpsoftraffictothisend.Thisallowsrealtimedeliveryofvoice,imageryanddatacommunicationsacrosstheLband,althoughthereistheoptiontoalsousetheradioforU,SandCbandcommunications.AnembeddedGPSisincludedalongwithAES256standardencryption,jammerrejectionandfrequencyhoppingsecurity.MIPRhasaflexiblechannelbandwidthofbetween0.4Mhzupto400Mhz,anditproducestenwattsofoutputpower.BothlineofsightandnonlineofsightconnectivitycanbeachievedwithMIPR,evenatspeedsofupto300kilometresperhour.

Last,butbynomeansleast,theCNR9000HDRisafamilyofVHFtransceiverswhichprovidedata,voiceandimagerycommunications.Theradioscoverthe3088Mhzrange,althoughwithanoptionforthistobeincreasedto108Mhz.Eachradiocontainsupto100presetchannels,andcanscanuptofourpreselectedchannelswiththeradiosprovidingbothfixedfrequencyandfrequencyhoppingcommunications.Initsmanpackconfiguration(PRC930HDR),theradiohasa

poweroutputof0.25Wortenwatts.SimilaroutputisobtainablewiththeARC920HDRairborneradio,whilethevehicularandbasestationVRC950HDR,VRC980HDRandVRC990HDRsetscandeliver0.25W,10Wand20Wofoutput.

Elektrobit

TacticalcommunicationsfortheFinnisharmedforcestookanimportantstepforwardwithElektrobitfulfillingdeliveriesofthefirstelementsoftheFinnishDefenceForcesnewTacticalWirelessInternetProtocol(TWIP)network.ThecompanyhadsignedacontractfortheTWIPin2011anditsintroductionwillenabletheFinnishArmytodevelopMobileAdHocNetworks(MANETs)viatheemploymentofstandalonewirelessbroadbandnetworks.ThisisanimportantconsiderationfortheFinnisharmedforcesgiventheinhospitableandisolatedareaswhichcharacterizesomepartsofFinland.

GeneralDynamics

InAmerica,tacticalradiospecialistGeneralDynamicshascertifiedandportedtheMobileUserObjectiveSystem(Muos)andintegratedwaveformintotheUSNavysAN/USC61DigitalModularRadio.ByaddingtheMuoswaveformtotheAN/USC61,thisradiocannowaccesstheMuosnextgenerationnarrowbandsatellitecommunicationssystemwhichwillfacilitateglobalhighspeedvoiceanddatacommunications.TheMuoshasalreadybeenappliedtothecompanysAN/PRC155manpackradio.TheIntegratedWaveform,meanwhile,improvestheperformanceofcommunicationsnetworkshostedbysatelliteconstellations.

GeneralDynamicswascontractedtoinstalltheMuoswaveformintheAN/PRC155asthisgreatlyincreasestheperformanceofthesemanpackradiosbyaddingasatcomcapabilityalongsidetheSRWandWNWwaveformswhichtheAN/PRC155alreadyhosts,plusitslegacySincgarscapabilities.TheAN/PRC155manpackhastwochannelswhichenablestroopstorunonewaveform,suchastheSRWononechannel,whilethesecondchannelcanbeusedtoconnectwithcomradesonanothernetwork,perhapsusingoneoftheSincgarswaveforms,forexample.TheadditionofMuostotheAN/PRC155allowsuserstonotonlyconnectwithothersintheirlocale,butalsotoreachthousandsofmilesfromtheirlocationgiventhattheMuoswaveformbouncesoffasatelliteconstellation.Crucially,theMuoswaveformboastsspeedsuptotentimesfasterthanthoseachievableusingexistingDepartmentofDefenseUHFsatcomnetworks.TheUSArmytaskedGeneralDynamicstorolltheMuosupgradeonto100AN/PRC155transceivers.TestshavealreadyoccurreddemonstratingtheabilitiesoftheseradiostoperformradiotoradiovoiceanddatacommunicationsusingtheMuoswaveformacrossanorbitingMuossatellite.ThecompanyclaimedthatthismarkedthefirstsuchoccasionduringwhichtacticalradioshadcommunicatedwithoneanothersuingboththeMuoswaveformandconstellation.

TheinitialorderfortheAN/PRC155manpackwasmadebytheUSArmyinNovember2012.Worth$306milliontheordercallsforthedeliveryofupto3,726examples,splitbetweenGeneralDynamicsandHarris,toequipseveralUSArmyBrigadeCombatTeams.DeliveriesoftheAN/PRC155tothearmycommencedthesamemonthastheorder.ThiswasbecauseGeneralDynamicshadalreadycommencedproductionofthisradio,andaccompanyingvehicleintegrationsystemsinanticipationofthecontract.However,theNovember2012orderdoesnotrepresentthefirstorderoftheAN/PRC155.InJuly2011,theUSArmymadeaninitialpurchaseof100AN/PRC155s.Asnotedabove,theDepartmentofDefenseisexpectedtoopentheFullRateProductionportionofthemanpackelementoftheHMSprogrammetocompetition.

Moreover,theUSArmys4thBrigadeCombatTeam(4thBCT)isnowusingtheIncrement2releaseofthecompanysWarfighterInformationNetworkTactical(WINT),whichhasincludedthedeploymentofWINTtoAfghanistan.Asordersstandatpresent,theUSArmyhasrequested532WINTnodes.TheWINTIncrement2providesasecurebackbonebetweentroopsandtheircommanders

atthecompanylevel.Inaddition,commanderscanlinktohigherechelonsdirectlyfromtheirvehicle.BoththeAN/PRC154RiflemanandAN/PRC155manpackradioscanconnecttothe

WINTnetwork.WINTwasessentiallyconceivedtoprovidedigitalcommunicationstomobileandhighlydispersedforces.Increment1ofWINTprovidesatthehaltnetworkingviatheprovisionofvoice,dataandimagerycommunications.TheattractionisthattroopsusingWINTIncrement1canperforminstantcommunicationswhenstationarywithouthavingtosetupalloftheirnecessarycommunicationsequipmentoneachoccasion.Unsurprisingly,giventhesignificantrangesatwhichWINTisintendedtooperate,`formsakeypartofitsarchitecture.

Increment2addscommunicationsonthemovefromdivisiontocompanylevelsusinganadhocselfformingandselfhealingnetwork.Asnotedabove,GeneralDynamicsisfurnishingtheUSArmywiththeAN/PRC154RiflemanradioalongsideThales.Thefirmreceivedanadditionalorderforupto13,000additionalsetsinAugust2012worth$53.9million.LiketheAN/PRC155radios,theRiflemanisbeingdeliveredtoUSArmyinfantrybrigadecombatteams.

GeneralDynamics,alongsideHarris(quodvide),isprovidingSRWAppliqutacticalradiostotheUSArmy.InJuly2013,thefirmwasawardedacontractfor287unclassifiedSRWAppliquradios,withHarrisbeingawardedasimilarcontractfor119SecretSRWAppliqusystems.Upto5,000ofthesecouldeventuallybepurchasedbytheUSArmyfromanumberofmanufacturers.TheSRWAppliquradiocanoutfitavehiclemountedSincgarscompatibleradiotoprovideSRWlevelconnectivityforthatlattersystem.ThisprovidesvehicleradiosameansofcommunicatingwithdismountedtroopsusingtheSRWintheirRiflemanradios,andiseffectivelyastopgapmeasurependingthedevelopmentandintroductionoftheMNVR(seeabove),whichwillhavetheSRWandWNWinstalledasstandard.

Harris

AspartoftheJTRSrestricting,theUSArmyhaslaunchedacompetitionfortheFullRateProductionoftheRiflemanradiowithseveralcompaniesofferingproposedsolutions.HarrisisofferingasolutionbaseduponitsRF330TERWidebandNetworkingTeamRadiotoanswertherequirement.Theradiooffersa14



proposedsolutions.HarrisisofferingasolutionbaseduponitsRF330TERWidebandNetworkingTeamRadiotoanswertherequirement.Theradiooffersa14hourbatterylifeandusesidenticalbatteriesandchargerstothoseusedbytheGeneralDynamics/ThalesAN/PRC154.TheVHF/UHF(225450Mhz,12501390Mhzand17551850Mhz)RF330TERprovidesencryptionuptotheNSASecretlevel,and20hoursbatterylife.Simultaneousvoiceandhighspeeddatacommunicationsarepossiblewiththisradio,alongwithuptodatepositionreporting.TheradiocanjoinorformanSRWnetworkinlessthan40seconds,anditisinstantlyinteroperablewithallotherSRWcompatiblecommunicationsdevices.Theradiocanalsobeupgradedtoportfuturewaveformsasandwhentheybecomeavailable.

AwayfromitsinvolvementwiththeFullRateProductionelementoftheRiflemanprogramme,HarriscontinuestodelivertacticalradiostoUScustomersandotherclientsaroundtheworld.InJune2013,thefirmnettedacontractworth$36milliontosupplywidebandAN/PRC117GmanpackandAN/PRC152AhandheldFalconIIIradios.TheseradioswillequiptheUnitedStatesSpecialOperationsCommand.

TheAN/PRC117GcoverstheHF/VHF/UHF302000MhzwavebandandincludesUSNationalSecurityAgencyType1encryptionandsupportsawiderangeoflegacywaveformswhilealsobeingJTRScertified.TheseincludetheSincgars,HavequickIIandthecompanysownAdaptiveNetworkingWidebandWaveform(ANW2)whichfacilitateshighbandwidthdatatransmissionandisupgradeabletotheSRW.InSeptember2012,HarrisannouncedthatJTRScertificationhadbeenreceivedforthisradiotooperateversion1.01.1oftheSRW.ThiseffectivelycertifiedittocarrytheSRWandmarkedanimportantmilestoneinitsdevelopment.

RegardingtheAN/PRC117Gsperformance,asinglestandardbatteryprovidesuptotenwattsoftransmitpowerinVHFand20WinUHF.SimilarwaveformsaresupportedbytheAN/PRC152AalongwiththeAPCOP25protocolwhichallowsuserstoconnectwithciviliancommunicationsnetworkssuchasthoseutilizedbyfirstresponders.CoveringtheVHF/UHF30512Mhzand762870Mhzfrequencyranges,theradiohasfivewattsofpoweroperatinginalineofsightmode,andtenwattsofpowerwhenperformingsatcom.AlongsidetheSpecialOpsCommand,HarrishasoverthepasttwelvemonthssecuredAN/PRC117GordersfromtheUnitedStatesMarineCorpsworth$26million,andfromtheUnitedStatesAirForceinDecember2012forthedeliveryoftransceiversworth$85millionaspartofanindefinitedelivery,indefinitequantitysupplycontractwhichalsosawaninitialorderworth33millionbeingmadeforthedeliveryofAN/PRC117Gsets.Todate,Harrissaysthatithasproducedandshippedover22,000AN/PRC117GsetswhichhavebeensuppliedtoAustralia,Canada,France,Germany,Italy,Poland,theUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStatesinadditiontoseveralotherNatonations.Harriscontinuestowinexportcustomersforitstacticalcommunicationsproducts,mostnoticeablynettinganorderworth$40millioninMay2013toprovidetheRoyalBruneiarmedforceswithnewradiosfromitsFalconIIIproductline.OtherexportordershavefollowedtoPolandwhich,inSeptember2012,placeda$10millionorderforAN/PRC117GradiosalongwithAN/PRC150sets.TheAN/PRC150isanHFradiowhichthecompanyclaimsisthemostadvancedType1(communicationssecurity)radioavailabletoday.CoveringtheHF/VHF1.660Mhzrange,theradioincludesthirdgenerationautomaticlinkestablishmentandadvancedfrequencyhoppingwhichprovidessecurecommunicationseveninconditionswheresignificantjammingisbeingperformed.AlthoughHFcommunicationscansometimessufferfromlowdatarates,theAN/PRC150canshiftupto9,600bitspersecondofinformation.AustraliaisacquiringtheAN/PRC150radioaspartofitsJointProject2072BattlespaceCommunicationsSystemfortheAustralianArmy.Thisinitiativeisreplacinglegacyradiosusedbytheforce,whileprovidingabackbonetoruntheBattlefieldManagementSystemandBattlefieldCommandSupportSystem.TheBattlefieldCommunicationsSystemwillacquirenarrowbandandwidebandradiostocarrytheselatterAustraliancommandandcontrolsystems.

InOctober2012,HarrisintroduceditsKnightLitebackpackmobilecellularnetworksystem.ThisproductformspartofthecompanysKnightHawkfamily.KnightLiteisessentiallyaportablecellularhubprovidingvoice,dataandSMScommunicationsacrossasecurenetworkwhichiscompatiblewithexistingcommercialofftheshelfsmartphonesandtabletcomputers.WhendeployedKnightLitecanprovide3G/4Gnetworkingandprovidesagatewaylinkingthesedevicestoothermilitarycommunicationsnetworks.Thiscanbedoneviaconventionalhighbandwidthtacticaltransceivers.Dataratesofupto14mbpsareachievablewiththehighcapacity3GcoverageprovidedbytheKnightLite,althoughthiscanbeincreasedto20mbpsviaa4GLTE(LongTermEvolution)softwareupgrade.HarrisintroduceditsKnighthawktactical3GcellularnetworknodeinApril2011.

OthernewproductsfromtheHarrisstableincludetheFalconRF330E.Thisnewwidebandsoldierpersonalradiocanhandlevoiceanddatatrafficwhilealsoprovidingsituationalawarenesstoindividualtroops.ThecompanyhasdesignedtheradiotoaddressrequirementsfortheUSArmyFRPphaseoftheRiflemanprogramme,andforitsNettWarriorinitiativewhichaimstofurnishtroopswithalowcost,smartphone/tabletstyledevicewhichcanoperatewiththeRiflemanradiotorunappswhichcanbeusedbyindividualsoldiers.TheRF330EisdesignedtoruntheSRW,andtoprovideupto14hoursoperationonasinglebatterycharge.ThebatteriesthemselvesarethesameasthoseusedforHarrissAN/PRC152Atransceiverwhichwillhelptoreducethelogisticsburdenofsupportingtheseradios.

ICellularPhones

ItisworthdigressingherealittletotalkabouttheMultiAccessCellularExtension(Mace)programmewhichisbeingpursuedintheUnitedStateswiththeintentionofusingthefledglingNettWarriorinitiativeandWINTasaconduitforcellularcommunications.Inparticular,theUSArmyisespeciallykeentoleveragetheimprovementsincommunicationsofferedbysocalled4GLTE(FourthGenerationLongTermEvolution)wirelesscommunicationswhichofferhighspeeddataratesforcellphonesandcomputers.Oneapplicationforsuchtechnologyisinthefieldofmilitarytelemedicine.TheoverallaimofthisinitiativeistoprovidesoldierswithfullcellularcommunicationsservicesinSpartanenvironments.

Theproblemwithprovidingcellularcommunicationsinthefieldisessentiallydowntoinfrastructurechallenges.Civiliansareusedtoobtainingnearuniversalcellphonecoverage,particularlyinurbanenvironments,withoutgivingtheprovisionofsuchservicesasecondthought.Thisisbecauseofthemyriadoflatticelikecellphonecommunicationstowerswhichcarrytraffic.Whenacellphonecallismadethesignalispickedupbythenearesttowerandrebroadcastuntilitreachesitsdestination.Asalwayswithmilitarycommunications,armiesareforcedtonotonlytaketheircommunicationssystemwiththemintothefield,butalsotheaccompanyinginfrastructurerequiredto

operatethese,hencethedevelopmentofadhocnetworkingradioswhichformtheirownnetworks.

Forcellularcommunicationstobeavailabletosoldiers,thenecessaryinfrastructurehastobepresenttoenablethemtowork.TherationalebehindtheMaceprogrammeissimple.Itaimstooplugthegapsthatnaturallyoccurintheatrewidecommunicationswheretwoseparatetacticalcommunicationsnetworkswhichmayhostcellularcommunicationsmaybetoofarfromoneanother,orseparatedbyageographicalobstaclesuchasamountainrangetopermitconnectivity.TheMaceprogrammecommencedin2012andiscurrentlyundergoingdevelopmentwithaviewtodeployingthetechnologiesthattheprogrammewilldevelopbycirca2016.ThechallengeoftheinitiativeisensuringthatthetechnologiesrealizedasaresultoftheMaceprogrammecaninteroperatewiththeUSArmysexistingandfuturecommunicationsnetworks.ThiseffortwillhavetoensurethatcellularcommunicationscanintegratewithandusethenetworkssuchasNettWarriorandWINTwhichwillcarrythistraffictoitsdestination.

OthernewHarrisproductsincludetheRF7800HHFmanpackwhichthecompanysaysprovidesuptotentimesthebandwidthanddataratesofsimilarHFmanpackproducts.Inadditiontoitsincreasedpower,theRF7800His20percentsmallerandlighterthanpreviousHFmanpacksandoperatesonasinglebattery,whileincludingsoftwarecommunicationsarchitecturewhichgreatlyeasesthefutureupgradeoftheradio.Finally,thefirmhasintroducedtheNextGenerationFalconIIIRF7800WOU500HighCapacityLineofSight(HCLOS)radiowhichusesMultipleInputMultipleOutput(MIMO)technologytoprovideinexcessof180mbpsdatathroughputacrossrangesofupto160km.

ITTExeliS

ThelasttwelvemonthshavebeenbusyforUnitedStatesbasedcommunicationsspecialistsITTExelis.On24thJune2013,thefirmreceivedanewlevelofcertificationfromtheUSNationalSecurityAgency(NSA)foritsSoldierRadioRiflemanandSideHatproducts.ThisNSAcertificationenablestheradiostohandletrafficclassifiedattheagencysSecretandbelowlevelacrosstheUSArmysforwardareasandtacticalenvironments.SideHatisatransceiver,whichcanresidenexttoaSincgarsstandardmanpackinavehicularconfiguration.Thisconfigurationincreasesthewarfighterscapabilityanduseofspaceandinstallationinagivenplatform.

TheSideHatattachestoaSincgarstransceiverandenablessoldierstoexchangevoiceanddatacommunicationsusingtheSRW,withouthavingtoprocurecompletelynewSRWtransceivers.TheSRWwasdevelopedbyITTExelis.TherationalebehindtheSRWistoprovideahighbandwidthnetworkingwaveformthatcouldbeusedbysmall,lowpowertransceiversequippedwithlowprofileantennas,operatingincontestedterritoryi.e.beingresistanttojammingandinterception.TheSideHatenablesSincgarseraradiostocommunicatewithnewradiosrunningtheSRW.Tothisend,itcarriesVHF/UHFcommunicationsat225450Mhz,andUHFtrafficatbetween12501390and17101850Mhzorin1.2Mhzbandwidthchannels.Ittransmissionpoweris23.4WattsinUHFand28WinLband.TheSideHatisavailableforvehicularoperations.

ITTExelissSoldierRadioRifleman(SRR(S))carriestheSRW(seeabove)andisdesignedforintrasquadcommunications.LiketheSideHat,theSRR(S)handlesUHFtrafficacrossthesamefrequencyspreadand1.2Mhzchannelbandwidth.Capableofachievingovereighthoursofoperationonasinglebatterycharge,theSRR(S)hastwowattsofoutputpowerinbothUHFandLband.Asregardsbandwidth,theradioprovidesupto1.2MhzusingtheSRW.Allup,theSRRweighsashadeunderakilogram,andisSoftwareCommunicationsArchitecture(SCA)2.2.2compliant.SCAisaseriesofopenarchitecturestandardswhichstipulatehardwareandsoftwarerequirementsforradioengineersprovidingSoftwareDefinedRadios(SDRs),andtheaccompanyingproductsandaccessoriesintendedtooperatewiththem.

AwordortwoshouldalsobementionedregardingITTExelissROhandheldradio.Unlessseveralfundamentallawsofphysicsradicallychangeinthenearfutureaprospectwhichseemssomewhatunlikely,radioengineersfaceafundamentalreality:HighFrequencytransmissionscantravelvastdistances,astheybouncetheirsignalsofftheionosphere,buttheycannotconveyhighlevelsofdata.VHFandUHFtransmissionsontheotherhand,cancarryvastlevelsofdata,butarerestrictedtolineofsiteranges.Thisisparticularlychallengingwhenaplatoonoftroopsismovingthroughanareaofhighmountains,jungleorsocalledurbancanyonswithhighrisebuildingsallofwhichcanservetoblockradiotrafficwithobstacles.TheROradiooffersanapproachtosquaringthiscircleasitusestheglobalIridiumsatellitecommunicationsnetworktocarryitstransmissionsbetweentransceivers.ThisenablesasoldiertosendUHFandVHFlevelsofdataacrossHFstyleranges,whileatthesametime,beingabletocommunicatewitheasewiththeircomradesintheadjacentstreet,forexample.ITTExelissROradiosformpartoftheDistributedTacticalCommunicationsSystem(DTCS)operatedbytheDefenceSystemsInformationAgency(DSIA).TheDSIAownsasectionofIridiumbandwidthwhichenablesittotransmittrafficacrossthisconstellation.Basically,theDSTAarchitectureincludestheROradios,andagatewayconnectingthese



bandwidthwhichenablesittotransmittrafficacrossthisconstellation.Basically,theDSTAarchitectureincludestheROradios,andagatewayconnectingtheseradiostotheDSIAownedIridiumbandwidth.Since2010,ITTExelishassuppliedaround8,000radiostotheUnitedStatesarmedforces,mostofwhichare

equippingtheUnitedStatesCentralCommandforoperationsinAfghanistan,althoughtheUnitedStatesMarineCorpsandAfricomalsousetheradio.Thecompanyiscurrentlyenhancingtheseradiosviaaretrofittoextendtheirrangetoover900kmandisthinkingabouthowthesetransceiverscouldconnectwithotherAlliedSincgarsorSRWstandardradiosthroughagatewayinthefuture.

AlthoughITTExelisisverymuchinvolvedinthedevelopmentofnewradiotechnology,itsproductscontinuetoprovepopulararoundtheworld.InMarch2013,thefirmwonacontractworth$4.3milliontoprovideRT1702SincgarstransceiversintheVRC92DualLongRangeRadioSystemandVRC90LongRangeRadioSystemconfigurations.Theidentityofthecustomerhasnotbeenrevealed,althoughthesupplyoftheRT1702willaffordthatcustomeraVHFradiooperatinginthe3088Mhzrangewhichcanbeusedinbothamountedanddismountedconfigurationprimarilytohandledatatraffic,althoughtheradiocanalsohandlevoicecommunicationsandGlobalPositioningSystem(GPS)transmissions,enablingittoprovideBlueForceTrackingfunctions.Inthedismountedconfiguration,theradiohasanoutputof5Wand10Wbutthisincreasesto50Wwhenusedinthevehicularconfiguration.

ExportsaleshavealsobeenforthcomingofITTExelissSpearNetradio,withthefirmsecuringasalescontractinlateFebruary2013.TheUHFSpearNetisbeingprovidedinbothvehicularandsoldierwearableforms.TheSpearNetcanhandledata,voiceandpositionalinformationviaGPSoverarangeofcircaeightkilometres.Itsdatatransferrateisintheregionof1001,500kilobitspersecond.Oneusefulfeature

oftheradioisthatitincludesaVoiceOverInternetProtocol(VoIP)function

whichallowsittoconnectwithexistingtelephonenetworks.Thisfeatureisespeciallyusefulwhenthesoldiersareworkingwiththeirciviliancounterpartssuchaslocalpoliceforcesoremergencyservicefirstresponders.Similarly,SpearNetcanbeconfiguredtoactasaninternetnodeallowingcomputersandsensorstobeconnectedtotheradiotosenddataacrossexistingIPnetworks.SuchfunctionscanbeperformedverysafelygiventhattheradioincludesAdvancedEncryptionStandard(AES)256security.Usedinitsvehicularconfigurationwhichteamsthesoldierradiowitha20Wpoweramplifier,theSpearNethasdemonstrateditsabilitytoachieverangesofupto16km.Thiscanincreaseto60km,ifradiorelaysarepresent.

ITTExelisisalsosupplyingtheUnitedKingdomMinistryofDefencewiththeenhancedversionofitsHighCapacityDataRadio,dubbedtheEnHCDR.ThisexpandsthefunctionalityoftheoriginalsetswhichhavebeensuppliedtotheBritainaspartoftheBowmanmultibandtacticalcommunicationsinitiative.ThevanillaHCDRcoverstheVHF/UHF225450Mhzrangeandperformsselfhealing,selfformingadhocnetworking.Theradiocanequipvehicles,ships,aircraftandfixedcommandposts.Datarateoutputsofupto5kbpsareachievablewiththeHCDR,whichisconsideredhighlyrobustvisviselectroniccountermeasures.TheHCDRspoweroutputisadaptiveupto20W.NoticeablechangesasregardstheEnHCDRcomparedtotheHCDRincludeanincreasedthroughputof8mbps,comparedtothe5kbpsofthelegacyproduct,andtheabilitytooperateinextremetemperaturesrangingfrom35Cupto+71C.TheEnHCDRfeaturesbothType1andType3AES256bitencryptionand4Mhzwidespreadspectrumfrequencyoccupancy.

MetricSystems

MetricSystemsRaptorXVHF/UHFNetworkRadioprovidesasolutionregardingtheplanningandestablishmentofreliable,deployedunittounitsecurebroadbandcommunications.AbletooperatecontinuouslyovertheVHF/UHF170800Mhzband,RaptorXenablesthequickactivationofpointtopoint,pointtomultipoint,andmultipointtomultipointnetworksinarangeofharshenvironmentsfromarcticterraintothehotandhumidjungle.WhenteamedwithsecureenterprisewifinodestheRaptorXprovidesgarrisontogarrisonsecurecommunicationsbetweenhundredsofauthorizedusers.

DeployableinamobileoratransportableconfigurationusingthecompanysRhinoBoxenvironmentallycontrolledsiteenclosure,thedualchannelRhino/Raptorsuite,providesawideareaVHF/UHFhublinkingcivilandmilitaryusersintoaunifiedcommunityelement.KeyoperationalfeaturesoftheRaptorXincludeoptional

RFpoweroutputlevels,tailoredfore

xtendedrangesubbandoperationwithinthe170800Mhzspectrum.FurthermoreSafariView,RaptorXsintegrated

operations,administrationandmaintenanceapplication,allowsitsembeddedrealtimehardwareencryptionenginetosecurelysupportmultipleindependentusers.Finally,RaptorXspowerfulmissionscriptingcapabilityenablescommunicationplannerstoquicklyconfigureandadapttochangingmissionrequirements.

Rafael

AlongwithSouthAfrica,EuropeandNorthAmerica,Israelisacentreofexcellenceasregardstacticalradioinnovation.RafaelhasunveileditsBnetfamilyoftacticalcommunicationswhichencompassesvehicular,airborneaswellashandheldtransceivers.Theseradioscanhandleuptotenmegabitspersecondofdataandcarryvoiceoverinternettraffic.PromotedasanadvancedIPMobileAdHocNetworkSDRbythecompany,alloftheradiosintheBnetfamilycanhandleNatowaveforms.RafaelwillcommencedeliveryoftheBnettotheIsraeliarmedforcesbylate2014.

Raytheon

RaytheonsEnhancedPositionLocatingReportingSystem(EPLRS)vehicularradiowhichequipstheUSArmysGeneralDynamicsLandSystemsStrykerarmouredfightingvehicleshasbeenupgradedbythecompanytoEXF1950statusaspartofanexercisetodemonstratethefeasibilityofprovidingtacticalwirelessinternetconnectivitythroughavehiclemountedradio.Overseveralmonths,StrykervehiclesequippedwiththeEXF1950operatedbytheforces4thBrigade,2ndInfantryDivisionStrykerBrigadeCombatTeam(4/2SBCT)demonstratedthatthiswasfeasiblethusenablingtroopstoreceiveandsendemailtrafficfromtheirStrykervehiclesusingasecurewirelessnetwork.Alongwithemailanddatahandlingacrossawirelessnetwork,thisupgradetotheEPLRSallowstroopstosendandreceivedata.PriortothisupgradeitwasonlypossibleforStrykervehiclestojoinanuppertiertacticalinternetnetworkwhenintheproximityofafixedtransmittingpointataForwardOperatingBase,oraCombatOutpost,forexample.TheEXF1915enablesaStrykerBrigadetojoinUSArmymiddletieranduppertierinternetnetworksandthusbenefitfromhighspeedinternetprotocolservicesacrosstheentirebrigade.

Inotherdevelopments,RaytheonannouncedinNovember2012thatithadsuccessfullydemonstratedtheSRWinitsMobileAdHocInteroperabilityNetworkGatewayradios,betterknownasMaingate.ThesignificanceofthedemonstrationisthatitillustratedtheabilityoftheseradiostocarryvoiceanddatatrafficbetweenaMaingateterminalandotherradiosusingtheSRW.AlongwithcarryingtheSRW,MaingatecanusetheNextGenerationMobileAdHocNetworkingWaveform(NMW).RaytheonhasdevelopedtheNMWand,inApril2012,thiswasacceptedintotheDepartmentofDefenseswaveformlibrarydevelopedaspartoftheJTRSprogramme.NMWisdesignedtoprovidewidebandconnectivityforsmall,lowpowerconsumptionradios.

Asmentionedinthisarticle,waveformsare,forallintentsandpurposes,thesecretsauceofarmedforcesfuturetacticalcommunicationsneeds.Theycanbethoughtofassimilartotheappsfoundonciviliansmartphoneswhichenabletheusertoperformseveralfunctionswiththeirphoneoncetheseappsareinstalled.JustassomesmartphonesnowhaveanapplicationfortheSkypeVOIPcommunicationssystem,theradioswhichhavebeen,andwillbe,developedfollowingthedemiseoftheJTRSprogrammewillbeabletoperformanumberoffunctionsaccordingtothewaveformsthattheyhaveinstalled.Forexample,thesewaveformsmayincludetheHavequickII,alegacySincgarserawaveformwhichenablessecurefrequencyhoppinggroundtoaircommunicationsacrossVHF/UHF225400Mhz.SimilarlytheMuoswaveformdiscussedabovefacilitatessatellitecommunications,whileawaveformsupportingcivilianmarinebandradioat156Mhzisalsoincludedinthelibrary.Tobetterfacilitatemultinationaloperations,someAlliedwaveformsmaybeincludedsuchasthosecompatiblewith

theUnitedKingdomsBowmanHF,VHFandUHFtacticalcommunicationssystem.Maingateisoneofthecandidateradios

fortheMNVRrequirement.AswellasrunningtheNMWandSRW,Raytheon

saysthatMaingatecanalsocarrytheMuos(seeabove).

Finally,thecompanyshowcaseditsnewJointTacticalAirController(JTAC)systematthe2013ParisAirShow.Currentlyinitsprototypestage,theJTACincludesavestworncommunicationssystemwhichisconnectedtoaneyepiecewornbytheaircontroller.Whenheseesatargetofinterest,helooksatitdirectlyandpressesabuttontodesignatethetarget.Thisimageryisthentransferredtoapilotinacombataircraftoverheadwhoimmediatelyseesthesametarget.SuchtechnologymaygoalongwayinhelpingtoavoidfratricideandcollateraldamagebyensuringthatbothpilotandJTACseeexactlythesametargetbeforeordnanceisreleased.

Reutech

ThepasttwelvemonthshasseenSouthAfricasReutechCommunicationsreleaseanewproductintothemarketplaceintheformoftheLandsecShortRangeCommunicationsSystemcomprisingthePCR4001EPersonalRoleRadioandtheVCR4001EVehicleRepeater.BilledasanewgenerationPersonalRoleNetworkedRadioforshortrageintrateamcommunicationsbyitsmanufacturer,thePCR4001Ecanperformhandsfreevoicecommunications,andhostmultipleuserswithapushtotalkpriorityoverrideandexternalaccesstotwocombatnetradios.

AbuiltinGPShasbeenincludedforblueforcetracking,andtheradiocanperformsimultaneousvoice,dataandimagerycommunications.Withanoperationalrangeofaroundonekilometre,thePCR4001EoperatesintheUHFbandatbetween410510Mhz.Oneoftheimpressivefeaturesoftheradioisitsbatterylife,



rangeofaroundonekilometre,thePCR4001EoperatesintheUHFbandatbetween410510Mhz.Oneoftheimpressivefeaturesoftheradioisitsbatterylife,whichprovidestoupto18hoursofoperationwithhotswappablebatteriesgivinganuninterruptedflowofcommunications.Fordata,thePCR4001Eprovidesauserdatarateof64kbps.

InadditiontotheunveilingofthePCR4001E,ReutechannouncedinOctober2012thatitisgearingupforfullscaleproductionoftheirnewgenerationoftacticalradiosaspartoftheirofferingtotheSouthAfricanNationalDefenceForceandotherinternationalcustomers.ThisoverarchingfamilyofradiosincludesthefirmsMCR3005EV/UHFandMCR2005EVHFmanpackradios,itsMCR1025EHFmanpackandthevehiclemountedV/UHFVCR2050EandVCR3020E,plustheHFVCR1100E.Someadvanceproductionunitshasalreadybeendeliveredtoselectedusers.ThesecondstageoftherolloutprogrammewillseedeliveriesofthecompanysFCR5050EV/UHFfixedtransceiver,FCR1100EHFtransceiver,PCR4001E(seeabove),andthevehiclemountedVCR4001Eatalaterdate.AlloftheradioswhichReutechisdeliveringincludebuiltinGPSforblueforcetrackingandadvancedencryption.AllofthesewillalsorunthesocalledSouthAfricanLinkZAnationaltacticaldatalinkwhichhasbeenindevelopmentsincethestartofthe21stCentury.LinkZAallowstheseamlesstransferofvoiceanddatacommunicationsbetweenarmy,airandnavalforces.

IRockwellCollins

InMay2013,RockwellCollinsannouncedthatithadperformedtwolivetestsofitsWidebandHFradio,duringwhichthetransmissionofstreamingfullcolourvideowasdemonstratedalongsideadhocIPbasednetworking.OfparticularinterestwastheabilitytohandletentimesthedataratesusuallyobtainablebyexistingHFsystems,accordingtothecompany.Historically,HFradiohasbeeninvaluableatprovidinganoverthehorizonreach,buthasdonesoattheexpenseofbandwidth,limitingthequantityofdatathatsuchcommunicationscanhandle.IncreasinglythebandwidthofHFradiosplaysanimportantpartinreducingthedependencethatarmedforceshaveonsatellitecommunicationswhichcanbeexpensivetoleaseandvulnerabletojamming.

DuringthatsamemonthRockwellCollinsSubNetRelay(SNR)productwasratifiedasmeetingNatosStandardisationAgreement4691(STANAG4691)whichcoversMarlin(MobileAdHocRelayLineofSightIPNetworking).TheSNRhasbeendesignedtoallowtheuseofacommonfrequencytoestablishatacticalinternetbetweenground,airandseavehicles.Thiscanbeaselfconfiguringandselfhealingnetworkusingeitherlegacyornewcommunicationssystems.InadditiontoproducingtheSNR,RockwellCollins,alongwithGeneralDynamics,isinvolvedintheproductionoftheAN/PRC155twochannelmanpacktacticalradiosfortheUSArmy.InlateNovember2012,thefirmreceivedacontracttoproducearoundhalfofthe3,700setswhichhavebeenorderedbytheUSArmywithGeneralDynamicsproducingthebalance.

RohdeandSchwarz

GermantacticalradiospecialistsRohdeandSchwarzusedtheopportunityoftheInternationalDefenceExhibitioninAbuDhabithisyeartounveilitsnew,nextgenerationsoftwaredefineradio.Thefirmsfamilyofradiosandnetworkingwaveformsisdesignedforvehicularandsemifixedinstallationsprovidingupto50Wofoutputpower,coveringthe30512HF/VHF/UHFranges.AlloftheradiosintherangeareSCAcompliant,whichallowsthewaveformsdevelopedbyothermanufacturerstobeportedintotheradiotoimproveinteroperability.

TheHDR(HighDataRate)waveformsdevelopedbyRohdeandSchwarztoaccompanytheSDTRfamilyareoptimizedtoprovidethebestrange,dataandsecurityperformancefortheuserdependingontheirrequirements,andthesecanbedirectlyselectedonthetransceiver.Aboveall,thesewaveformsenablemobile,IPbasedtacticalcommunicationsamustontodays,andtomorrows,battlefields.WhenonthemovetheHDRwaveformssupportManet,enablingtheautomaticreconfigurationofvehicletovehiclecommunicationsnetworks.

SelexES

ThisItalianmilitarycommunicationsspecialisttookadvantageoftheSITDEFExhibitioninLima,PerutoshowcasebothitsSoldierSystemRadios.SelexsSSRweighsaround600gramscompletewithitsbattery.TheUHFradioisavailableinboth400Mhzand900Mhzversionswiththeformerofferinganoperatingfrequencyofbetween350and450Mhz,andthelatter856and900Mhz.Inruralterrain,theSSRshavearangeintheorderofonekilometreandhost256channels.Upto32userscanbehostedonasingleSSRnet.SelexEStookmanyofthelessonslearnedfromthedesignofitsPersonalRoleRadio(PRR),althoughtherangeoftheSSRissufficienttosupportextendedsquadoperations.

Thales

ThalesisforgingaheadwiththeContactprogrammefortheFrencharmedforces.Announcedlastyear,ContactwillequiptheFrencharmy,navyandairforcewithnewgenerationSDRsfordifferentplatformsnamelyvehicles,helicopters,fightersandships,aswellasdismountedcommanders.Theprogrammeprovidesconnectivitytothesoldieronthefieldaswellasinteroperabilitywithalliedandcoalitionforcesand,comparedwithtodaysradios,itenablesfastertransmissionspeedsandhighergradesecurity.

OneimportantaspectoftheContactprogrammeisthattheradiosthatwillbedesignedandprocuredwillbecompatiblewiththeexistingwaveformsusedbytheThalesPR4GF@stNetfamilyofradiosusedbytheFrencharmedforces.ThePR4GF@stNetfamilyincludestheTRC9105andTRC9110VeryHighFrequency(VHF)handheldradios,TRC9210VHFmanpack,TRC9310A/APVHFvehicularset,TRC9310B/CVHFvehiculardualfitstation,andVery/UltraHighFrequency(V/UHF)airborneradios.

ThecompanyiscurrentlyintheContactprojectdefinitionphasetobecompletedby2014.Oncethedefinitionphaseiscomplete,thefirmexpectstocommencethedevelopmentofaprototypetransceiver.Followingthisproofofconceptworkwillbeperformedin2015withelementsoftheoverallContactarchitecturebeinginsertedintoexistingFrenchcommunicationsnetworksthereafter.

AkeyelementoftheContactarchitecture,asnotedabove,isinteroperability.ThiswillbeachievedbytheincorporationoftheEssor(EuropeanSecureSoftwaredefinedRadio)adhocnetworkinghighdataratewaveformsintotheoverallContactwaveform

librarywhichwillalsosupportthefutureCoalwnw(CoalitionWidebandNetworkingWaveform).TheEssorisaprojectrunundertheauspicesoftheEuropeanDefenceAgencywhichintends

todevelopstandardsandprotocolscompliantwithandcomplementingtheSoftwareCommunicationsArchitecture2.2.2standard,betterknownasSCA2.2.2.ThisisanopenarchitecturestandardrelatingtohardwareandsoftwareSDRdesigncriteria.TheaimistoenablefuturecommunicationssystemstointeroperatewithcommunicationsequipmentdevelopedaspartoftheJTRSprogramme.Inaddition,itwilldevelopaHighDataRateWaveform(HDWF)whichcanbeportedintothecommunicationssystemsoftheparticipatingnations(Finland,France,Italy,Poland,SpainandSweden).TheCoalwnwincludeselevennationsnotably,theUnitedStatesandmostofthesixparticipatingcountriesintheEssorinitiative,andseekstoeventuallydevelopacoalitionwidebandnetworkingwaveformwhichcanbeusedbyalloftheparticipatingcountriestoenhanceinteroperability.ThetacticallevelHighDataRateWaveform(HDRWF)beingdevelopedaspartoftheEssorundertakingisacandidatefortheCoalwnw.TheContactprogrammewillportthewaveformsdevelopedasaresultoftheEssorandCoalwnwinitiatives.

AlongsideitsleadingroleintheContactprogramme,ThalessAmericansubsidiaryhasdevelopedtheMBITR2(thenextgenerationMultibandInter/IntraTeamRadio)whichiscurrentlyundergoingtestswiththeUnitedStatesarmedforces.MBITR2canperformsimultaneousnarrowandwidebandoperationsusingasinglehandheldtransceiver.WhileitretainsthewaveformsofthelegacyVHF/UHFAN/PRC148JEM(JTRSEnhancedMBITR),notablySincgarsandtheHavequickI/IIUHFfrequencyhoppingprotectionprotocol,itaddsasecondwidebandchannelwhichenablesdataandvideoreceptionandtransmission.ThisalsopermitstheusertoaccesswidebandtacticalnetworksviatheSRW.Meanwhile,anembeddedGPSaffordstheradioablueforcetrackingcapability.ThalesplantoproduceaportableamplifierwhichwillallowtheMBITR2tobecomeavehicularormanpackradiointhefuture.

AlthoughThalessPR4GradiofamilyhasbeeninservicebothinFranceandaroundtheworldforsometimenow,thefirmisevolvingtherange.ItsnewTRC9110VHFhandheldradioisenteringtheproductionphase.TheTRC9110isasmalllightweighthandheldradioofferingthesamefeaturesandsamewaveformthatexistinthemanpackandthevehicularstations.Anew50Wlightvehiclestation(TRC9310L)basedonthishandheldandequippedwithaboosteriscompletingthecurrentPR4GF@stnetfamily.AllthenewequipmentincludesThalessnewGeoMuxVHFwaveformwhichisdedicatedtovoice,dataandpositionreporting,featuringoneofthemostadvancedVHFwaveformsonthemarket.Inaddition,adatatransferrateof100kbpshasbeendemonstratedwhichThalesexpectstodelivertocustomersnextyear.

Fortheindividualsoldier,UHFtrafficcanbehandledbyThalessSt@rMillefamilywhichoffersthreestandardwaveformscoveringintrasquad,intraplatoonandweaponssystemcommunications.AhighdataratewaveformcanbeusedbytheSt@rMillefamilytoenablesimultaneousvoice,dataandGPStransmissions.Availableinthreedifferenthardwareversions(handheld,vehicularandhighpower),ST@rMilleoffershighmobilityindifferentoperativescenarios(urban,suburbanandrural),selfformingandselfmanagingnetworkswithoutneedforanyinfrastructure,automaticreportingoftheGPSposition,ahighdataratecapacity,includinglivevideotransmissionsandsecurecommunicationsviaitsembeddedAESbasedencryptionalgorithm.

Asnotedabove,ThaleshasapresenceintheUnitedStatesmostnotablythroughtheuseofitsAN/PRC148JEMradiosbytheUSarmedforces.ThecompanyisinvolvedwiththeAN/PRC154RiflemanradiowhichithasjointlydevelopedandmanufacturedwithGeneralDynamics.Currently,theUSArmyhasaround20,000oftheseradiosonorderfromthetwocompanieswhicharebeingprocuredviaalowrateinitialproductioninitiative.

Finally,someinterestingworkisbeingperformedbyThalesregardingHFcommunications.HFhasthebenefitofprovidingoverthehorizonranges,thankstotheabilityofitstransmissionstousetheionosphereasaspringboardfromwhichitcanbounceoffinasimilarfashiontoapebblethrownacrossalake.ThisenablesHFtoavoidthecurvatureoftheEarthwhichactsasanobstacle,muchasitdoesforconventionallineofsightVHFandUHFcommunications.



HFtoavoidthecurvatureoftheEarthwhichactsasanobstacle,muchasitdoesforconventionallineofsightVHFandUHFcommunications.

ThalesiscurrentlyworkingonwidebandHFstandardsdesignedtoincreasethethroughputofHFtransmissions.TheseeffortsfocusongatheringnoncontiguousHFchannelstogether,whichisakintobindingseveralfibresintoonethickrope.EachHFchanneltendstohandlearoundninetotenkilobitspersecondofdata.Asameansofcomparisontheauthorscurrentwificonnectionhandles54megabitspersecondupto5,400timesmoredatathanasingleHFchannel.However,thetradeoffisthatisdoesthisacrossarangemeasuredinmetres.HFcarriesnotablymuchlessdata,butitsattractionisthatitcandothisacrossthousandsofmiles.Canthisdatarate/rangecirclebesquared?Usingtheropeanalogy,bygroupingseveralHFchannelstogether,youcanincreasethequantityofdatawhichcanbetransmitted.ThisisdonebyscanningHFradioschannelstofindthechannelsthatarenotbeingused.Oncetheseareidentified,thechannelsaregroupedtogetherforthetransmissionofdata.Forexample,uptotenchannelscouldbeconnectedtogethertoprovideupto100kbpsofbandwidthacrossanHFlink.SuchdataratesarestilleclipsedbythoseofferedusingVHF,UHFandsatellitecommunications,buttheycouldbeveryusefulinprovidinganalternateverylongdistancenarrowbandcommunicationslinkforwrittenmessagesandvoice,suchasthosetransferredbetweenshipsdeployedonthehighseasinataskforce.

UltraElectronics

InMay2013,UltraElectronicsunveileditsnewOrionhighcapacitylineofsightradio.TheOrioncanbeusedtoconnecthigherechelonlevelsofcommandwithtacticalnetworksandcanbeemployedasbothabackhaulrepeaterandarangeextensionnode.Thesetcanprovideaccesstothreeradiochannelssimultaneouslyacrossmultiplefrequencybands.Theradiocanhandleuptoonegigabitpersecondofdata,andincludesAES256levelembeddedcryptography.Orionsupportsanumberofwaveforms,includingthoseutilizedbythecompanysAN/GRC245A(V)HighCapacityLineofSightradios.TheAN/GRC245A(V)isatribandradiowhichcanhandleupto16mbpsoffullduplextrafficandcanachievesuchhighdatathroughputsevenatlongrange,althoughthiscanbeoptionallyincreasedtoratesof34mbps.ItcoverstheVHF/UHF225400Mhz,13502690Mhz,andSuperHighFrequency(SHF)44005000Mhzfrequencyranges,with125khzofchannelspacing.Usingthe225400Mhzfrequencyrange,theradiocanhandle256kbps16mbpsatadistancegreaterthan50km,256kbps34mbpsatrangesinexcessof55kmwhenusing13502690Mhzpartofthespectrum(thisisdependentonanoptionalEnhancedPowerMode),andthesamedatathroughoutatrangesinexcessof40kmwhenusingthe44005000Mhzfrequencyband.EmbeddedAES256standardencryptionisincludedalongwiththeabilitytosupportarangeofSCAcertifiedwaveforms.TheAN/GRC245A(V)isinservicewiththearmedforcesofCanada,Chile,Jordan,theUnitedKingdom,andtheUnitedStates.

UltraElectronicsothersimilarproductsincludetheHighCapacityMultiMissionRadio.ThisusestheSHF44005000Mhzsegmentofthespectrum.Itcantransmitdataatratesofbetween34kbpsupto100mbps.Whentransmittingat34kbps,theradiooccupies10Mhz.Thisincreasesto15Mhzwhentransmitting70kbpsand18Mhzwhenoperatingat100mbps.TheHighCapacityMultiMissionRadioiscompatiblewiththeAN/GRC245A(V),andsupportsanumberofwaveforms.

Ultralife

Tacticalradiosarehighlydependentontheiraccompanyingaccessoriestoensuresmoothoperation.Thisincludesdedicatedamplifierswhichcanextendtherangeandpowerofexistingproducts.InMay2013,UltralifeCorporationunveileditsnewA750075Wmultiband,multimodetacticalamplifier.TheA7500supportsawiderangeofwaveformsincludingSRW,HavequickandSincgars,tonamebutthree,andcanoperateinconjunctionwiththefirmsA320V2A20Wamplifier.SupportingtheSRWandanumberoflegacywaveforms,theA320V2AformspartofUltralifesA320tacticalamplifierrangeanditcoverstheHFtolowUHFfrequencyranges.

IARModularRF

NewtacticalamplifiersarealsoavailablefromARModularRF.ThefirmisintroducingitsLbandAR55LamplifierwhichisspecificallydesignedasanetworkingamplifiersystemandiscompliantwithSRW,andalsowithHarrissproprietaryANW2waveform.TheAR55Liscurrentlycompletingtesting,andthefirmishopingtoenterproductioninthenearfuture.BothofthesewaveformscanalsobecarriedbyARModularRFslegacyAR50amplifier.Todate,thecompanysaysthatithasshippedthousandsoftheselatterproductswhichwillintheirstandardconfigurationcarrynotonlylegacywaveformsbutalsothenewnetworkingwaveformsdevelopedasaresultoftheJTRSinitiative.AllofARModularRFstacticalboosteramplifierproductsareessentiallytransceiveragnosticandareusedwithAN/PRC117G,AN/PRC152,andAN/PRC148MBITRradios.ThefirmsaysthatgoingforwardtheyexpecttheirproductstobeusedextensivelywiththeAN/RPC154RiflemanRadio(seeabove)asthatproductentersservice.

Althoughtheymayseemsomewhatmorehumdrumthantheallsinging,alldancingmultibandtransceiversdiscussedabove,tacticalradiosarelittlemorethanboxfullofelectronicswithoutantennas.SignificantresearchanddevelopmentisflowingintoantennatechnologywithPharadintroducinganewLbandantennainearlyJuly2013.ThisLbandantennaiswearableandoperatesefficientlyoverthe1,3501390Mhzrange.Itcanbeusedforanumberofapplicationsincludingpointtopoint,pointtomultipointandpushtotalkcommunications.

Thepasttwelvemonthshasunderscoredthat,whiledefencebudgetsarefeelingthepinch,theglobalmodernizationoflandforcestacticalcommunicationscontinues.Ofcourseitisimpossibletopredicttheextenttowhichvariousprogrammeswilldecrease,increaseorchangeinscopeandreachoverthecomingyears.Thatsaidaconsensusseemstobeemergingthatarmiesaroundtheworldneedwidebandlongrangenetworkingatallechelons,mostnoticeablyinthehandsoftheindividualsolder.SatellitecommunicationsisincreasinglyformingastandardpartofanarmystacticalcommunicationssuiteofsystemsandreadersareadvisedtoconsultArmadasrecentlypublishedarticlesexploringsatcomsformoreinformation,whilehighbandwidthsareinhighdemand.Arguably,theworldoflandtacticalcommunicationsisstillsomewaybehinditsbetterfundedciviliancellularcounterpartintermsoffunctionalityandreachbutitiscatchingup,andcatchingupfast!

3M

Althoughextremelywellknowninthecivilianwordforawiderangeofproducts,3Misinvolvedintheproductionoftacticalradioaccessories.Inparticular,thefirmproducesahandsomerangeofradioheadsets.Ofteninadvertentlyneglectedheadsettechnologyisoneofthefastestmovingareasofthetacticalradiodomain,withrecentcombatoperationshighlightingtheneedtoensurethatsoldierscanhearradiotrafficclearlyhavetheirearsprotectedandatthesametimeareawareofnecessaryambientnoisetoensuretheirsituationalawareness.3MsradioheadsetproductlineincludestheComtacseriesofnextgenerationheadsetsandavarietyofpushtotalkandmicrophoneaccessories.Thecompanysaysthatnewproductsareinthepipeline,whichitexpectstobringtomarketsoon.

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