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RadioCompendium
Postedon01October2013byadmin

RADIO:TheGoldenAgeofWireless
Theglobaltacticalradiomarketseemstobeingoodhealth,despiteslowdownsindefencespending,particularlyinEuropeandtheUnitedStates.Newproductsare
enteringthedomain,whileseveralimportantprogrammesaremovingsteadilyforward.

TomWithington
InearlyJuly2013theStrategyAnalyticsconsultancycompanybasedintheUnitedStatespredictedgoodnewsfortheglobalmilitarytacticalcommunications
market.ItsGroundCommunicationsSystemsandComponentsForecast20122022predictedthatthemarketwillgrowatarateof7.2percentannually,reachingup
to$4.5billionbytheendoftheforecastperiod.Thereportaddedthathandheldtransceiverswillconstitutethebulkofthemarket,encompassing49percentofthe
marketvalue,and94percentofshipments.Thisisperhapsunsurprisinggiventhatarmieswilltendtoalwayshavefarmorehandheldsetsintheirpossessionandon
order,comparedtovehicularorfixedsitetransceivers.Inaddition,althoughsinglebandradioswillstillbeindemand,theanalysispredictsthatthedemandfor
multibandradios,i.e.whichcancoverthe330Megahertz(Mhz)HighFrequency(HF),30300MhzVeryHighFrequency(VHF)and3003000MhzUltraHigh
Frequency(UHF)sectionsofthespectrumwillincrease.DespitethesqueezeondefencespendingbeingwitnessedintheUnitedStatesatpresent,thecountryisstill
predictedtobethebiggestspenderontacticalradioproductsdespitetheextensivereorganizationoftheerstwhileJointTacticalRadioSystem(JTRS)initiative.

JTRS
Indeed,undoubtedlyoneofthebiggestupsetsinthetacticalradiosworldoverthepasttwelvemonthshasbeentheextensiverestructuringoftheUnitedStatesJoint
TacticalRadioSystem(JTRS).TherationalebehindtheJTRSprogrammewastoreplaceahostofdisparateradiosinuseacrossthecountrysarmedforceswitha
familyofsoftwaredefinedradios(SDRs)whichwoulduseasetofwaveformstoperformtheirspecificfunctions,asopposedtohavingalarge,diverserangeof
radiosacrossplatformsandpersonnelwhichwouldnotneatlyintermeshwithoneanother.
TheJTRSwastobedevelopedundertheauspicesofitsownJointProgramExecutiveOffice(JPEO)whichhadbeenestablishedin2005tomanagetothevarious
elementsoftheJTRSprogramme.TheseincludedthenowdefunctGroundMobileRadio(GMR),theHandheld,ManpackandSmallFormFit(HMS),theAirborne,
MaritimeandFixedStation(AMF)radios,theMultifunctionInformationDistributionSystem(MIDS)andtheNetworkEnterpriseDomain(NED).
Asdiscussedbelow,theGroundMobileRadiohasnowbeenreplacedbytheMultitierNetworkingVehicularRadio(MNVR),althoughtheHMSinitiativehas
survived.Inaddition,theAMFandMIDSworkstrandshavealsoavoidedtheaxe,althoughitisofnotethattheserespectiveprogrammeshavenowbeentransferred
totheauspicesoftheservices.Forexample,theHMSandAMFprojectsarenowunderthesupervisionoftheUSArmy,alongwiththeMNVRprogramme,withthe
MIDSworkfallingunderthepurviewoftheUSNavy.TheNEDworkstrand,meanwhile,hasbeenrenamedastheJointTacticalNetwork(JTN)programmeandis
nowundertheresponsibilityofthenewlyestablishedJointTacticalNetworkingCentre(JTNC),whichisresponsibleforensuringthatthewaveformsand
technologydevelopedasaconsequenceoftheJTRSprogramme,andwhicharecontinuingdevelopment,caninteroperatewithoneanotheraspertheoriginalspirit
oftheprogramme.TheJTNCisalsotaskedwithdevelopingthewaveformsthatthefuturecommunicationssystemsbeingprocuredwilluse.Inessence,whilethe
formalJTRSprogrammemaynowbedeadandburiedasignificantquantityoftheprogrammesoriginalscopeliveson.
FortheUSArmy,evenwiththerestructuringoftheJTRSprogramme,theprocurementofitsfuturecommunicationsremainsamajorundertaking.Upto120,000
handheldradios,whichfallundertheauspicesoftheHMSundertakinghavestilltobeprocured.ThiswilloccurunderthefullrateproductionphaseoftheRifleman

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handheldradios,whichfallundertheauspicesoftheHMSundertakinghavestilltobeprocured.ThiswilloccurunderthefullrateproductionphaseoftheRifleman
Radioproject(seebelow).Inadditiontheservicehastoacquire68,000manpacktransceiversandupto2,000vehicularsystemsaspartoftheMNVRscheme,notto
mentionthepotentialacquisitionofupto7,000networkingradiosforairborneforces.Allinall,thiscouldgenerateabillofupto$750million.
ConcerningtheRiflemanRadio,sofar,twolowrateinitialproductionprojectshaveseen19,327Thales/GeneralDynamicsAN/PRC154RiflemanRadiosbeing
orderedaspartoftheoriginalHMSelement.AsimilarLRIPhasseenGeneralDynamicsandRockwellCollinstappedfor3,726AN/PRC155manpacks.The
RiflemanradiohassurvivedthedemiseoftheUSarmedforcesJTRSinitiative,alongwithseveralotherfacetsofthatprogrammediscussedinthisarticle.Although
thousandsofAN/PRC154setsarecurrentlybeingprocured,theUSArmyisreopeningtheRiflemanprocurement.Thiswillseeanumberofcompaniesliningup
toprovidethearmywithnewradiosastheRiflemanprogrammemovestowardsfullrateproduction.ContendersincludeHarris,NorthropGrumman,BAESystems
andITTExelis,inadditiontoThalesandGeneralDynamics.ContractsfortheRiflemanfullrateproductionandthefullrateproductionforthemanpackradiosare
expectedtobeawardedin2014.
TotrulycomprehendtheJTRSprogramme,oneneedstounderstandalittleaboutthesystemitwillreplace,namelytheSingleChannelGroundandAirborneRadio
System(Sincgars),andtheSoldierRadioWaveform(SRW)andWidebandNetworkingWaveform(WNW).
TheSincgarsisnotaspecificbrandoftransceiverbutinsteadreferstoarangeofradiosinusewiththeUnitedStatesarmedforces,andwithanumberofAllied
nationswhichareconfiguredtousetheSincgarsprotocol.TheuseofthisprotocolenablesinteroperabilitybetweenSincgarsequippednations.TheSincgars
effectivelyprovidesthebasistothephilosophywhichunderpinnedtheJTRSprogramme.Sincgarsradioshandlevoiceanddatacommunicationsacross25khz
channelsintheVHFrange.Theseradiosareavailableinvehicular,manpack,airborneandhandheldconfigurationsandcanperformbothsinglefrequencyand
frequencyhoppingtransmissions,thelatterbeingperformedat111hopspersecond.BothITTExelisandGeneralDynamicswere,andremain,heavilyinvolvedin
theSincgarsprogramme.Infact,ITTExelis(orITTasthecompanywasthenknown),wonthecontractinNovember1983forthefirstSincgarsradiotoequip
groundtroops,withGeneralDynamicsbeingawardedafurthergroundradiocontractinJuly1988.ThenewradioswhichwillbeprocuredviatheerstwhileJTRS
programmewillsupporttheSincgarswaveform.Thisiscrucialasitwillenablesoldiersusingtheselegacysystemstocommunicatewiththeircounterpartsequipped
withthenewsystems.ItwillalsoallowthoseUSalliesequippedwithSincgarsradiostodothesamething.Therefore,althoughSincgarswasoriginallydesignedto
replacetheVietnameraradiosusedbytheAmericansthere,itremainsaveryimportanttacticalradiosystem.Infact,theUnitedStatesisexpectedtoretainthe
Sincgarsinuseuntilcirca2030asitintroducesitsnewreplacementradios.ThisunderlinesjusthowimportantinteroperabilityisbetweentheexJTRSandSincgars
domains.
WhiletheSincgarsprovidedaquantumleapinconnectivityandsecurityonthebattlefield,itwasprimarilydesignedasavoiceradio.DuringtheColdWarwhenthe
mainthreattoNatowasthespectreofRedArmytroopsdashingthroughtheFuldaGapandHofCorridorthiswasnotdeemedaproblem.Howeverthesocalled
RevolutioninMilitaryAffairstheoryonthesupremacyoftechnologicalpoweronthebattlefieldwhichevolvedinthe1970sand1980s,butwhichhadgained
prominenceinthe1990sandthepostColdWareraservedtoincreasinglyheightentheimportanceofthedistributionofdataandimageryonthebattlefield.The
SoldierRadioWaveform(SRW),developedaspartoftheJTRSprogramme,isareflectionofthisphenomenon.Inessence,theSRWprovidesmobileadhocdata
andvoicecommunicationsinthehandsoftheindividualsoldier.
Thechallengebehinditsdevelopmentwastoprovideasecureandhighbandwidthmeansofcommunicationwhichcouldsurvivetherigoursofthebattlefield,and
mostimportantlyattemptstodisruptcommunications,andstillfunction.Thishadtobeachievedusinglowpower,smallandlightweightradios.Itisaruleofthumb
incommunicationsthatmuchcanbeachievedwithhugeamountsofpowerandlotsofcircuitry.Asthecivilianmobilephoneworldhasillustrated,slimmingdown
froma1980sbricksizedmobileintoatrimsmartphonecanbequiteachallenge,andquiteacost.TheSRWisbeingrolledoutacrosstheUSarmedforcesina
seriesofsoftwareincrements,whichallowsthenewSRWstandardstobeeasilyportedintoradiosasandwhentheyaredeveloped,inasimilarfashiontoasoftware
upgradeforaciviliancellphone.
Forallintentsandpurposes,theSRWlinksupwardstotheWidebandNetworkingWaveform(WNW).WhereastheSRWhasspectrumallotmentsof1.2Mhzto
moveitsvoice,imageryanddatatraffic,theWNWsupportssimilarallotments,butcanalsosupportallotmentsofthreeorfivemegahertz,andeven30megahertz
whenavailable.Thistranslatesintoahigherthroughputoftraffic.WhereasindividualsoldiersaretheprimaryusersoftheSRW,theWNWisdesignedtoprovidea
communicationsbackboneknittingtogethergroundandairplatforms.Becausesuchplatformstendtohavemorepowerandmorespace,thiscantranslateintohigher
quantitiesofvoice,dataandimagerytrafficwhichtheirradioscanhandle.

BAESystems
ThisBritishbaseddefencecompany,whichhasamajorpresenceinNorthAmerica,isheavilyinvolvedanimportantelementoftheerstwhileJTRSprogramme.In
particular,thefirmhasdevelopedtheWidebandNetworkingWaveformAntiJam(WNWAJ)mode.BAESystemsrecentlydemonstratedtheantijammodeofthe
WNWusingthefirmsownPhoenixradiosduringatestperformedatJointBaseMcGuireDixLakehurstwhichdemonstratedthattheseradioscouldsecurely
communicatewithoneanotheracrossruggedterrain.
ThePhoenixfamilyincludesthePhoenixSC,Phoenix2CandPhoenix4C.DesignedasMNVRs,theseradioscanportnotonlyexistingwaveforms,butwaveforms
expectedtobecomeavailableinthefuture.ThePhoenixSCaccommodatestwochannelsforWNWandSRWcommunications,thelatterofwhichisusedby
dismountedtroopstoconnectthemtoanetwork,plustwoSincgarschannels.ThisenablestheradiotolinkwithexistingtransceiversrunningSincgarscompatible
waveforms,whilealsorunningtheWNWandSRWwaveformsdevelopedasaresultofJTRS.Thisthereforeprovidesausefullinkagebetweenlegacyandfuture
USandAlliedtacticalradios.ThePhoenix2C,meanwhile,providestwochannelsforWNWandSRWcommunications,withthePhoenix4Csupportingthesame
waveforms,butviafourchannels.

Barrett
InDecember2012,AustraliasBarrettCommunicationsannouncedthatit
hadreceivedcertificationandapprovalfromtheUnitedStatesNationalTelecommunicationsandInformationAdministration(NTIA)whichcompletes
interoperabilityrequirementstoallowBarretts2050HFtransceiver,2020faxanddataproduct,and2060HFtelephoneinterconnectsystemtobeacquiredandused
bygovernmentalorcommercialbodiesintheUnitedStates.Thecompanys2050HFtransceivercoversthe1.630Megahertz(Mhz)frequencyspread,andis
certifiedtoMilitaryStandard188141B(MilStd188141B)forAutomaticLinkEstablishment.Optionalfrequencyhoppingcanbeinstalledinthetransceiverto
enhancesecurity,andthesystemalsomeetsMilStd810Gforresistancetoshock,vibration,dustingressanddrop.Upto500programmablechannelsareincluded,
anditcanoperateintemperaturesof30Cupto+70C.
The2050HFtransceiverisoneofthreesuchproductsmanufacturedbyBarrettCommunications.Thefirms2030HFSSBtransceiverhasanHFtransmitfrequency
rangeof1.630Mhz,andareceptionrangeof250kilohertz(Khz)to30Mhz.Theradiohasupto500programmablechannelsandcanworkinsimilarlyharsh
temperaturestothe2050HF.Likethelatterproduct,the2030HFcanincludeoptionalfrequencyhoppingwhichitcanachieveatarateoffiveor25hopspersecond
whenusinganexternalsynchronizationunit.ItalsocompliestoMilStd810regulations.Barretts2060HFmanpackhassimilartransmitandreceivefrequenciesto
thetwotransceiversdiscussedabove,andcanhostupto500simplexorsemiduplexchannels.

Codan
FollowingCodanslaunchofitsEnvoySDRHFradiosinJune2012,thecompanyhasbegunshippingtransceivers.WhenitwasreleasedCodanstatedthatthe
EnvoywasthemostadvancedcommercialHFradiointheworld.SeveralstandardfeaturesareincludedontheEnvoy,suchasAutomaticLinkEstablishment
highspeeddatatransmissionsandreceptionabuiltinGlobalPositioningSystemandencryption.Moreover,theradiocanbeoptimized
forbasestation,mobileanddeployedoperations.EaseofoperationhasbeenbuiltintotheEnvoywiththeadditionofaniconbaseduserinterfaceinasimilar
fashiontothatwhichcanbefoundonciviliansmartphones.AnInternetProtocol(IP)interfacemakesiteasytointegratetheEnvoyintoestablishedcommunications
networks.AlthoughthedestinationofthefirstshipmentsofEnvoyradioswasnotrevealedbyCodan,thefirmdidannouncethatthetransceiverscommenced
deliveriesinDecember2012.

Datron
Whiletherestrictingandonwardmarch
oftheUnitedStatesoverarching
militarycommunicationsmodernizationprogrammeformallyknownasJTRS
(seeabove),wasinevidencelastyear,
itwasrevealedthatDatronWorldCommunicationsPRC7700HHHFtacticalmanpackradiohadreceivedJointInteroperabilityTestCommand(JITC)
certification.Inparticularthiscertified
theradiotoMILSTD188141B.Whatthismeansinpracticeisthattheradiomeetsinteroperabilityandperformancerequirementsformediumandhighfrequency

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theradiotoMILSTD188141B.Whatthismeansinpracticeisthattheradiomeetsinteroperabilityandperformancerequirementsformediumandhighfrequency
radiosparticularlyasregards
toAutomaticLinkEstablishment.
DatronsPRC7700HisanHFSDR
whichcanbeusedasafixedsite,orasamanpackradio.Ithasatransmitpowerofupto25Wandsupportsbothvoiceanddatacommunications.

EID
PortugalsEIDwascelebratingthenewsinJuly2013thatithadbeencontractedbythearmedforcesofBangladeshtosupplyCD116DigitalFieldSwitchboards
whichwillsupporttheBangladeshiArmystacticalcommunicationssystem.TheCD116isdesignedfornetworkscarryingvoiceanddatatraffic.Itcanmanagea
numberofdiversecommunicationssystems.Thesecanincludeanaloguetelephones,combatnetradios,analogueanddigitalpubliccommunicationsnetworks,and
digitalterminalscarryingvoiceanddatatraffic.
ElbitSystems
MaintainingaprominentpresenceatlastyearsEurosatoryexhibitioninParis,IsraelsElbitSystemsispromotingitstacticalradioswhicharedesignedtomeeta
widerangeofuserrequirements.Duringtheshow,thefirmshowcaseditsPNR1000A,SDR7200HH,SDR7200,MIPRandCNR9000HDRallofwhichare
marketedunderthecompanysTadiranproductline.ThePNR1000AcoverstheVHF/UHF225512Mhzrangeandisdesignedasafullduplexpersonalradiofor
dismountedsoldiers.Threepoweroutputsareachievablewiththesetnamelysettingsof0.5,1Wand2W.Althoughtheradiohasadatarateofupto320kilobits
persecond(kbps),thisisexpectedtoincreaseto1megabitpersecond(mbps)inthefuture.Batterypowerprovidessufficientoperationforupto20hoursuse,and
theradiocanfunctionintemperaturesof30Cupto+65C.
ElbitsSDR7200HHis,likethePNR1000A,ahandheld,softwaredefinedradio.Itcanoffersimultaneousvoiceandvideo,orvoiceanddatacommunications
usingasingle25khznarrowbandchannel.CoveringtheHF/VHF/UHF30512Mhzrange,theSDR7200HHprovidescommunicationssecurityandahighdegreeof
resistancetocountermeasures.TheradioisSCA2.2standardcompliantandincludesbothnarrowband(30512Mhz)andwideband(225512Mhz)waveformsinthe
radiosrepository.Whenusingthenarrowbandwaveform,theradiocanmove115kbpsbutthisincreasesto1mbpswhenthewidebandwaveformisutilized.Abuilt
inGPSisincludedtoaidblueforcetracking,andthecompanysaysthatthisradioisinteroperablewithlegacyTadirantransceivers.Allofthisfunctionalityis
enclosedinapackageweighing650grams,includingthebattery,whichprovides14hoursoperation.
TheSDR7200HHssisterproduct,theSDR7200,isavehicularsoftwaredefinedradio.SimultaneousvoiceanddatatrafficcanbehandledbytheSDR7200which
hasanarrowwavebandof25Khztohandleupto115kbps,inasimilarfashiontotheSDR7200HHdiscussedabove.SCA2.2compliant,theSDR7200uses
frequencyhoppingtopreservesecurityandcanportbothcurrent,andfuture,waveforms.Meanwhile,thecompanysMIPR(MilitaryIPRadio)hasbeendesignedto
providehighspeedbroadbandcommunicationsservicesonthebattlefield,handlingupto13.3mbpsoftraffictothisend.Thisallowsrealtimedeliveryofvoice,
imageryanddatacommunicationsacrosstheLband,althoughthereistheoptiontoalsousetheradioforU,SandCbandcommunications.AnembeddedGPSis
includedalongwithAES256standardencryption,jammerrejectionandfrequencyhoppingsecurity.MIPRhasaflexiblechannelbandwidthofbetween0.4Mhzup
to400Mhz,anditproducestenwattsofoutputpower.BothlineofsightandnonlineofsightconnectivitycanbeachievedwithMIPR,evenatspeedsofupto300
kilometresperhour.
Last,butbynomeansleast,theCNR9000HDRisafamilyofVHFtransceiverswhichprovidedata,voiceandimagerycommunications.Theradioscoverthe30
88Mhzrange,althoughwithanoptionforthistobeincreasedto108Mhz.Eachradiocontainsupto100presetchannels,andcanscanuptofourpreselected
channelswiththeradiosprovidingbothfixedfrequencyandfrequencyhoppingcommunications.Initsmanpackconfiguration(PRC930HDR),theradiohasa
poweroutputof0.25Wortenwatts.SimilaroutputisobtainablewiththeARC920HDRairborneradio,whilethevehicularandbasestationVRC950HDR,VRC
980HDRandVRC990HDRsetscandeliver0.25W,10Wand20Wofoutput.

Elektrobit
TacticalcommunicationsfortheFinnisharmedforcestookanimportantstepforwardwithElektrobitfulfillingdeliveriesofthefirstelementsoftheFinnishDefence
ForcesnewTacticalWirelessInternetProtocol(TWIP)network.ThecompanyhadsignedacontractfortheTWIPin2011anditsintroductionwillenablethe
FinnishArmytodevelopMobileAdHocNetworks(MANETs)viatheemploymentofstandalonewirelessbroadbandnetworks.Thisisanimportantconsideration
fortheFinnisharmedforcesgiventheinhospitableandisolatedareaswhichcharacterizesomepartsofFinland.

GeneralDynamics
InAmerica,tacticalradiospecialistGeneralDynamicshascertifiedandportedtheMobileUserObjectiveSystem(Muos)andintegratedwaveformintotheUS
NavysAN/USC61DigitalModularRadio.ByaddingtheMuoswaveformtotheAN/USC61,thisradiocannowaccesstheMuosnextgenerationnarrowband
satellitecommunicationssystemwhichwillfacilitateglobalhighspeedvoiceanddatacommunications.TheMuoshasalreadybeenappliedtothecompanys
AN/PRC155manpackradio.TheIntegratedWaveform,meanwhile,improvestheperformanceofcommunicationsnetworkshostedbysatelliteconstellations.
GeneralDynamicswascontractedtoinstalltheMuoswaveformintheAN/PRC155asthisgreatlyincreasestheperformanceofthesemanpackradiosbyaddinga
satcomcapabilityalongsidetheSRWandWNWwaveformswhichtheAN/PRC155alreadyhosts,plusitslegacySincgarscapabilities.TheAN/PRC155manpack
hastwochannelswhichenablestroopstorunonewaveform,suchastheSRWononechannel,whilethesecondchannelcanbeusedtoconnectwithcomradeson
anothernetwork,perhapsusingoneoftheSincgarswaveforms,forexample.TheadditionofMuostotheAN/PRC155allowsuserstonotonlyconnectwithothers
intheirlocale,butalsotoreachthousandsofmilesfromtheirlocationgiventhattheMuoswaveformbouncesoffasatelliteconstellation.Crucially,theMuos
waveformboastsspeedsuptotentimesfasterthanthoseachievableusingexistingDepartmentofDefenseUHFsatcomnetworks.TheUSArmytaskedGeneral
DynamicstorolltheMuosupgradeonto100AN/PRC155transceivers.Testshavealreadyoccurreddemonstratingtheabilitiesoftheseradiostoperformradioto
radiovoiceanddatacommunicationsusingtheMuoswaveformacrossanorbitingMuossatellite.Thecompanyclaimedthatthismarkedthefirstsuchoccasion
duringwhichtacticalradioshadcommunicatedwithoneanothersuingboththeMuoswaveformandconstellation.
TheinitialorderfortheAN/PRC155manpackwasmadebytheUSArmyinNovember2012.Worth$306milliontheordercallsforthedeliveryofupto3,726
examples,splitbetweenGeneralDynamicsandHarris,toequipseveralUSArmyBrigadeCombatTeams.DeliveriesoftheAN/PRC155tothearmycommenced
thesamemonthastheorder.ThiswasbecauseGeneralDynamicshadalreadycommencedproductionofthisradio,andaccompanyingvehicleintegrationsystems
inanticipationofthecontract.However,theNovember2012orderdoesnotrepresentthefirstorderoftheAN/PRC155.InJuly2011,theUSArmymadeaninitial
purchaseof100AN/PRC155s.Asnotedabove,theDepartmentofDefenseisexpectedtoopentheFullRateProductionportionofthemanpackelementofthe
HMSprogrammetocompetition.
Moreover,theUSArmys4thBrigadeCombatTeam(4thBCT)isnowusingtheIncrement2releaseofthecompanysWarfighterInformationNetworkTactical
(WINT),whichhasincludedthedeploymentofWINTtoAfghanistan.Asordersstandatpresent,theUSArmyhasrequested532WINTnodes.TheWINT
Increment2providesasecurebackbonebetweentroopsandtheircommanders
atthecompanylevel.Inaddition,commanderscanlinktohigherechelonsdirectlyfromtheirvehicle.BoththeAN/PRC154RiflemanandAN/PRC155manpack
radioscanconnecttothe
WINTnetwork.WINTwasessentiallyconceivedtoprovidedigitalcommunicationstomobileandhighlydispersedforces.Increment1ofWINTprovidesatthe
haltnetworkingviatheprovisionofvoice,dataandimagerycommunications.TheattractionisthattroopsusingWINTIncrement1canperforminstant
communicationswhenstationarywithouthavingtosetupalloftheirnecessarycommunicationsequipmentoneachoccasion.Unsurprisingly,giventhesignificant
rangesatwhichWINTisintendedtooperate,`formsakeypartofitsarchitecture.
Increment2addscommunicationsonthemovefromdivisiontocompanylevelsusinganadhocselfformingandselfhealingnetwork.Asnotedabove,General
DynamicsisfurnishingtheUSArmywiththeAN/PRC154RiflemanradioalongsideThales.Thefirmreceivedanadditionalorderforupto13,000additionalsets
inAugust2012worth$53.9million.LiketheAN/PRC155radios,theRiflemanisbeingdeliveredtoUSArmyinfantrybrigadecombatteams.
GeneralDynamics,alongsideHarris(quodvide),isprovidingSRWAppliqutacticalradiostotheUSArmy.InJuly2013,thefirmwasawardedacontractfor287
unclassifiedSRWAppliquradios,withHarrisbeingawardedasimilarcontractfor119SecretSRWAppliqusystems.Upto5,000ofthesecouldeventuallybe
purchasedbytheUSArmyfromanumberofmanufacturers.TheSRWAppliquradiocanoutfitavehiclemountedSincgarscompatibleradiotoprovideSRW
levelconnectivityforthatlattersystem.ThisprovidesvehicleradiosameansofcommunicatingwithdismountedtroopsusingtheSRWintheirRiflemanradios,and
iseffectivelyastopgapmeasurependingthedevelopmentandintroductionoftheMNVR(seeabove),whichwillhavetheSRWandWNWinstalledasstandard.

Harris
AspartoftheJTRSrestricting,theUSArmyhaslaunchedacompetitionfortheFullRateProductionoftheRiflemanradiowithseveralcompaniesoffering
proposedsolutions.HarrisisofferingasolutionbaseduponitsRF330TERWidebandNetworkingTeamRadiotoanswertherequirement.Theradiooffersa14

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proposedsolutions.HarrisisofferingasolutionbaseduponitsRF330TERWidebandNetworkingTeamRadiotoanswertherequirement.Theradiooffersa14
hourbatterylifeandusesidenticalbatteriesandchargerstothoseusedbytheGeneralDynamics/ThalesAN/PRC154.TheVHF/UHF(225450Mhz,1250
1390Mhzand17551850Mhz)RF330TERprovidesencryptionuptotheNSASecretlevel,and20hoursbatterylife.Simultaneousvoiceandhighspeeddata
communicationsarepossiblewiththisradio,alongwithuptodatepositionreporting.TheradiocanjoinorformanSRWnetworkinlessthan40seconds,anditis
instantlyinteroperablewithallotherSRWcompatiblecommunicationsdevices.Theradiocanalsobeupgradedtoportfuturewaveformsasandwhentheybecome
available.
AwayfromitsinvolvementwiththeFullRateProductionelementoftheRiflemanprogramme,HarriscontinuestodelivertacticalradiostoUScustomersandother
clientsaroundtheworld.InJune2013,thefirmnettedacontractworth$36milliontosupplywidebandAN/PRC117GmanpackandAN/PRC152Ahandheld
FalconIIIradios.TheseradioswillequiptheUnitedStatesSpecialOperationsCommand.
TheAN/PRC117GcoverstheHF/VHF/UHF302000MhzwavebandandincludesUSNationalSecurityAgencyType1encryptionandsupportsawiderangeof
legacywaveformswhilealsobeingJTRScertified.TheseincludetheSincgars,HavequickIIandthecompanysownAdaptiveNetworkingWidebandWaveform
(ANW2)whichfacilitateshighbandwidthdatatransmissionandisupgradeabletotheSRW.InSeptember2012,HarrisannouncedthatJTRScertificationhadbeen
receivedforthisradiotooperateversion1.01.1oftheSRW.ThiseffectivelycertifiedittocarrytheSRWandmarkedanimportantmilestoneinitsdevelopment.
RegardingtheAN/PRC117Gsperformance,asinglestandardbatteryprovidesuptotenwattsoftransmitpowerinVHFand20WinUHF.Similarwaveformsare
supportedbytheAN/PRC152AalongwiththeAPCOP25protocolwhichallowsuserstoconnectwithciviliancommunicationsnetworkssuchasthoseutilizedby
firstresponders.CoveringtheVHF/UHF30512Mhzand762870Mhzfrequencyranges,theradiohasfivewattsofpoweroperatinginalineofsightmode,andten
wattsofpowerwhenperformingsatcom.AlongsidetheSpecialOpsCommand,HarrishasoverthepasttwelvemonthssecuredAN/PRC117Gordersfromthe
UnitedStatesMarineCorpsworth$26million,andfromtheUnitedStatesAirForceinDecember2012forthedeliveryoftransceiversworth$85millionaspartof
anindefinitedelivery,indefinitequantitysupplycontractwhichalsosawaninitialorderworth33millionbeingmadeforthedeliveryofAN/PRC117Gsets.To
date,Harrissaysthatithasproducedandshippedover22,000AN/PRC117GsetswhichhavebeensuppliedtoAustralia,Canada,France,Germany,Italy,Poland,
theUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStatesinadditiontoseveralotherNatonations.
Harriscontinuestowinexportcustomersforitstacticalcommunicationsproducts,mostnoticeablynettinganorderworth$40millioninMay2013toprovidethe
RoyalBruneiarmedforceswithnewradiosfromitsFalconIIIproductline.OtherexportordershavefollowedtoPolandwhich,inSeptember2012,placeda$10
millionorderforAN/PRC117GradiosalongwithAN/PRC150sets.TheAN/PRC150isanHFradiowhichthecompanyclaimsisthemostadvancedType1
(communicationssecurity)radioavailabletoday.CoveringtheHF/VHF1.660Mhzrange,theradioincludesthirdgenerationautomaticlinkestablishmentand
advancedfrequencyhoppingwhichprovidessecurecommunicationseveninconditionswheresignificantjammingisbeingperformed.AlthoughHF
communicationscansometimessufferfromlowdatarates,theAN/PRC150canshiftupto9,600bitspersecondofinformation.Australiaisacquiringthe
AN/PRC150radioaspartofitsJointProject2072BattlespaceCommunicationsSystemfortheAustralianArmy.Thisinitiativeisreplacinglegacyradiosusedby
theforce,whileprovidingabackbonetoruntheBattlefieldManagementSystemandBattlefieldCommandSupportSystem.TheBattlefieldCommunications
SystemwillacquirenarrowbandandwidebandradiostocarrytheselatterAustraliancommandandcontrolsystems.
InOctober2012,HarrisintroduceditsKnightLitebackpackmobilecellularnetworksystem.ThisproductformspartofthecompanysKnightHawkfamily.
KnightLiteisessentiallyaportablecellularhubprovidingvoice,dataandSMScommunicationsacrossasecurenetworkwhichiscompatiblewithexisting
commercialofftheshelfsmartphonesandtabletcomputers.WhendeployedKnightLitecanprovide3G/4Gnetworkingandprovidesagatewaylinkingthese
devicestoothermilitarycommunicationsnetworks.Thiscanbedoneviaconventionalhighbandwidthtacticaltransceivers.Dataratesofupto14mbpsare
achievablewiththehighcapacity3GcoverageprovidedbytheKnightLite,althoughthiscanbeincreasedto20mbpsviaa4GLTE(LongTermEvolution)software
upgrade.HarrisintroduceditsKnighthawktactical3GcellularnetworknodeinApril2011.
OthernewproductsfromtheHarrisstableincludetheFalconRF330E.Thisnewwidebandsoldierpersonalradiocanhandlevoiceanddatatrafficwhilealso
providingsituationalawarenesstoindividualtroops.ThecompanyhasdesignedtheradiotoaddressrequirementsfortheUSArmyFRPphaseoftheRifleman
programme,andforitsNettWarriorinitiativewhichaimstofurnishtroopswithalowcost,smartphone/tabletstyledevicewhichcanoperatewiththeRifleman
radiotorunappswhichcanbeusedbyindividualsoldiers.TheRF330EisdesignedtoruntheSRW,andtoprovideupto14hoursoperationonasinglebattery
charge.ThebatteriesthemselvesarethesameasthoseusedforHarrissAN/PRC152Atransceiverwhichwillhelptoreducethelogisticsburdenofsupportingthese
radios.
ICellularPhones
ItisworthdigressingherealittletotalkabouttheMultiAccessCellularExtension(Mace)programmewhichisbeingpursuedintheUnitedStateswiththeintention
ofusingthefledglingNettWarriorinitiativeandWINTasaconduitforcellularcommunications.Inparticular,theUSArmyisespeciallykeentoleveragethe
improvementsincommunicationsofferedbysocalled4GLTE(FourthGenerationLongTermEvolution)wirelesscommunicationswhichofferhighspeeddata
ratesforcellphonesandcomputers.Oneapplicationforsuchtechnologyisinthefieldofmilitarytelemedicine.Theoverallaimofthisinitiativeistoprovide
soldierswithfullcellularcommunicationsservicesinSpartanenvironments.
Theproblemwithprovidingcellularcommunicationsinthefieldisessentiallydowntoinfrastructurechallenges.Civiliansareusedtoobtainingnearuniversal
cellphonecoverage,particularlyinurbanenvironments,withoutgivingtheprovisionofsuchservicesasecondthought.Thisisbecauseofthemyriadoflatticelike
cellphonecommunicationstowerswhichcarrytraffic.Whenacellphonecallismadethesignalispickedupbythenearesttowerandrebroadcastuntilitreachesits
destination.Asalwayswithmilitarycommunications,armiesareforcedtonotonlytaketheircommunicationssystemwiththemintothefield,butalsothe
accompanyinginfrastructurerequiredto
operatethese,hencethedevelopmentofadhocnetworkingradioswhichformtheirownnetworks.
Forcellularcommunicationstobeavailabletosoldiers,thenecessaryinfrastructurehastobepresenttoenablethemtowork.TherationalebehindtheMace
programmeissimple.Itaimstooplugthegapsthatnaturallyoccurintheatrewidecommunicationswheretwoseparatetacticalcommunicationsnetworkswhich
mayhostcellularcommunicationsmaybetoofarfromoneanother,orseparatedbyageographicalobstaclesuchasamountainrangetopermitconnectivity.The
Maceprogrammecommencedin2012andiscurrentlyundergoingdevelopmentwithaviewtodeployingthetechnologiesthattheprogrammewilldevelopbycirca
2016.ThechallengeoftheinitiativeisensuringthatthetechnologiesrealizedasaresultoftheMaceprogrammecaninteroperatewiththeUSArmysexistingand
futurecommunicationsnetworks.ThiseffortwillhavetoensurethatcellularcommunicationscanintegratewithandusethenetworkssuchasNettWarriorand
WINTwhichwillcarrythistraffictoitsdestination.
OthernewHarrisproductsincludetheRF7800HHFmanpackwhichthecompanysaysprovidesuptotentimesthebandwidthanddataratesofsimilarHF
manpackproducts.Inadditiontoitsincreasedpower,theRF7800His20percentsmallerandlighterthanpreviousHFmanpacksandoperatesonasinglebattery,
whileincludingsoftwarecommunicationsarchitecturewhichgreatlyeasesthefutureupgradeoftheradio.Finally,thefirmhasintroducedtheNextGeneration
FalconIIIRF7800WOU500HighCapacityLineofSight(HCLOS)radiowhichusesMultipleInputMultipleOutput(MIMO)technologytoprovideinexcessof
180mbpsdatathroughputacrossrangesofupto160km.

ITTExeliS
ThelasttwelvemonthshavebeenbusyforUnitedStatesbasedcommunicationsspecialistsITTExelis.On24thJune2013,thefirmreceivedanewlevelof
certificationfromtheUSNationalSecurityAgency(NSA)foritsSoldierRadioRiflemanandSideHatproducts.ThisNSAcertificationenablestheradiostohandle
trafficclassifiedattheagencysSecretandbelowlevelacrosstheUSArmysforwardareasandtacticalenvironments.SideHatisatransceiver,whichcanreside
nexttoaSincgarsstandardmanpackinavehicularconfiguration.Thisconfigurationincreasesthewarfighterscapabilityanduseofspaceandinstallationinagiven
platform.
TheSideHatattachestoaSincgarstransceiverandenablessoldierstoexchangevoiceanddatacommunicationsusingtheSRW,withouthavingtoprocure
completelynewSRWtransceivers.TheSRWwasdevelopedbyITTExelis.TherationalebehindtheSRWistoprovideahighbandwidthnetworkingwaveformthat
couldbeusedbysmall,lowpowertransceiversequippedwithlowprofileantennas,operatingincontestedterritoryi.e.beingresistanttojammingandinterception.
TheSideHatenablesSincgarseraradiostocommunicatewithnewradiosrunningtheSRW.Tothisend,itcarriesVHF/UHFcommunicationsat225450Mhz,and
UHFtrafficatbetween12501390and17101850Mhzorin1.2Mhzbandwidthchannels.Ittransmissionpoweris23.4WattsinUHFand28WinLband.The
SideHatisavailableforvehicularoperations.
ITTExelissSoldierRadioRifleman(SRR(S))carriestheSRW(seeabove)andisdesignedforintrasquadcommunications.LiketheSideHat,theSRR(S)
handlesUHFtrafficacrossthesamefrequencyspreadand1.2Mhzchannelbandwidth.Capableofachievingovereighthoursofoperationonasinglebatterycharge,
theSRR(S)hastwowattsofoutputpowerinbothUHFandLband.Asregardsbandwidth,theradioprovidesupto1.2MhzusingtheSRW.Allup,theSRR
weighsashadeunderakilogram,andisSoftwareCommunicationsArchitecture(SCA)2.2.2compliant.SCAisaseriesofopenarchitecturestandardswhich
stipulatehardwareandsoftwarerequirementsforradioengineersprovidingSoftwareDefinedRadios(SDRs),andtheaccompanyingproductsandaccessories
intendedtooperatewiththem.
AwordortwoshouldalsobementionedregardingITTExelissROhandheldradio.Unlessseveralfundamentallawsofphysicsradicallychangeinthenearfuture
aprospectwhichseemssomewhatunlikely,radioengineersfaceafundamentalreality:HighFrequencytransmissionscantravelvastdistances,astheybouncetheir
signalsofftheionosphere,buttheycannotconveyhighlevelsofdata.VHFandUHFtransmissionsontheotherhand,cancarryvastlevelsofdata,butarerestricted
tolineofsiteranges.Thisisparticularlychallengingwhenaplatoonoftroopsismovingthroughanareaofhighmountains,jungleorsocalledurbancanyons
withhighrisebuildingsallofwhichcanservetoblockradiotrafficwithobstacles.TheROradiooffersanapproachtosquaringthiscircleasitusestheglobal
Iridiumsatellitecommunicationsnetworktocarryitstransmissionsbetweentransceivers.ThisenablesasoldiertosendUHFandVHFlevelsofdataacrossHFstyle
ranges,whileatthesametime,beingabletocommunicatewitheasewiththeircomradesintheadjacentstreet,forexample.ITTExelissROradiosformpartofthe
DistributedTacticalCommunicationsSystem(DTCS)operatedbytheDefenceSystemsInformationAgency(DSIA).TheDSIAownsasectionofIridium
bandwidthwhichenablesittotransmittrafficacrossthisconstellation.Basically,theDSTAarchitectureincludestheROradios,andagatewayconnectingthese

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bandwidthwhichenablesittotransmittrafficacrossthisconstellation.Basically,theDSTAarchitectureincludestheROradios,andagatewayconnectingthese
radiostotheDSIAownedIridiumbandwidth.Since2010,ITTExelishassuppliedaround8,000radiostotheUnitedStatesarmedforces,mostofwhichare
equippingtheUnitedStatesCentralCommandforoperationsinAfghanistan,althoughtheUnitedStatesMarineCorpsandAfricomalsousetheradio.Thecompany
iscurrentlyenhancingtheseradiosviaaretrofittoextendtheirrangetoover900kmandisthinkingabouthowthesetransceiverscouldconnectwithotherAllied
SincgarsorSRWstandardradiosthroughagatewayinthefuture.
AlthoughITTExelisisverymuchinvolvedinthedevelopmentofnewradiotechnology,itsproductscontinuetoprovepopulararoundtheworld.InMarch2013,
thefirmwonacontractworth$4.3milliontoprovideRT1702SincgarstransceiversintheVRC92DualLongRangeRadioSystemandVRC90LongRange
RadioSystemconfigurations.Theidentityofthecustomerhasnotbeenrevealed,althoughthesupplyoftheRT1702willaffordthatcustomeraVHFradio
operatinginthe3088Mhzrangewhichcanbeusedinbothamountedanddismountedconfigurationprimarilytohandledatatraffic,althoughtheradiocanalso
handlevoicecommunicationsandGlobalPositioningSystem(GPS)transmissions,enablingittoprovideBlueForceTrackingfunctions.Inthedismounted
configuration,theradiohasanoutputof5Wand10Wbutthisincreasesto50Wwhenusedinthevehicularconfiguration.
ExportsaleshavealsobeenforthcomingofITTExelissSpearNetradio,withthefirmsecuringasalescontractinlateFebruary2013.TheUHFSpearNetisbeing
providedinbothvehicularandsoldierwearableforms.TheSpearNetcanhandledata,voiceandpositionalinformationviaGPSoverarangeofcircaeight
kilometres.Itsdatatransferrateisintheregionof1001,500kilobitspersecond.Oneusefulfeature
oftheradioisthatitincludesaVoiceOverInternetProtocol(VoIP)function
whichallowsittoconnectwithexistingtelephonenetworks.Thisfeatureisespeciallyusefulwhenthesoldiersareworkingwiththeirciviliancounterpartssuchas
localpoliceforcesoremergencyservicefirstresponders.Similarly,SpearNetcanbeconfiguredtoactasaninternetnodeallowingcomputersandsensorstobe
connectedtotheradiotosenddataacrossexistingIPnetworks.SuchfunctionscanbeperformedverysafelygiventhattheradioincludesAdvancedEncryption
Standard(AES)256security.Usedinitsvehicularconfigurationwhichteamsthesoldierradiowitha20Wpoweramplifier,theSpearNethasdemonstratedits
abilitytoachieverangesofupto16km.Thiscanincreaseto60km,ifradiorelaysarepresent.
ITTExelisisalsosupplyingtheUnitedKingdomMinistryofDefencewiththeenhancedversionofitsHighCapacityDataRadio,dubbedtheEnHCDR.This
expandsthefunctionalityoftheoriginalsetswhichhavebeensuppliedtotheBritainaspartoftheBowmanmultibandtacticalcommunicationsinitiative.The
vanillaHCDRcoverstheVHF/UHF225450Mhzrangeandperformsselfhealing,selfformingadhocnetworking.Theradiocanequipvehicles,ships,aircraft
andfixedcommandposts.Datarateoutputsofupto5kbpsareachievablewiththeHCDR,whichisconsideredhighlyrobustvisviselectroniccountermeasures.
TheHCDRspoweroutputisadaptiveupto20W.NoticeablechangesasregardstheEnHCDRcomparedtotheHCDRincludeanincreasedthroughputof8mbps,
comparedtothe5kbpsofthelegacyproduct,andtheabilitytooperateinextremetemperaturesrangingfrom35Cupto+71C.TheEnHCDRfeaturesbothType
1andType3AES256bitencryptionand4Mhzwidespreadspectrumfrequencyoccupancy.

MetricSystems
MetricSystemsRaptorXVHF/UHFNetworkRadioprovidesasolutionregardingtheplanningandestablishmentofreliable,deployedunittounitsecure
broadbandcommunications.AbletooperatecontinuouslyovertheVHF/UHF170800Mhzband,RaptorXenablesthequickactivationofpointtopoint,pointto
multipoint,andmultipointtomultipointnetworksinarangeofharshenvironmentsfromarcticterraintothehotandhumidjungle.Whenteamedwithsecure
enterprisewifinodestheRaptorXprovidesgarrisontogarrisonsecurecommunicationsbetweenhundredsofauthorizedusers.
DeployableinamobileoratransportableconfigurationusingthecompanysRhinoBoxenvironmentallycontrolledsiteenclosure,thedualchannelRhino/Raptor
suite,providesawideareaVHF/UHFhublinkingcivilandmilitaryusersintoaunifiedcommunityelement.KeyoperationalfeaturesoftheRaptorXinclude
optional
RFpoweroutputlevels,tailoredfore
xtendedrangesubbandoperationwithinthe170800Mhzspectrum.FurthermoreSafariView,RaptorXsintegrated
operations,administrationandmaintenanceapplication,allowsitsembeddedrealtimehardwareencryptionenginetosecurelysupportmultipleindependentusers.
Finally,RaptorXspowerfulmissionscriptingcapabilityenablescommunicationplannerstoquicklyconfigureandadapttochangingmissionrequirements.

Rafael
AlongwithSouthAfrica,EuropeandNorthAmerica,Israelisacentreofexcellenceasregardstacticalradioinnovation.RafaelhasunveileditsBnetfamilyof
tacticalcommunicationswhichencompassesvehicular,airborneaswellashandheldtransceivers.Theseradioscanhandleuptotenmegabitspersecondofdataand
carryvoiceoverinternettraffic.PromotedasanadvancedIPMobileAdHocNetworkSDRbythecompany,alloftheradiosintheBnetfamilycanhandleNato
waveforms.RafaelwillcommencedeliveryoftheBnettotheIsraeliarmedforcesbylate2014.

Raytheon
RaytheonsEnhancedPositionLocatingReportingSystem(EPLRS)vehicularradiowhichequipstheUSArmysGeneralDynamicsLandSystemsStryker
armouredfightingvehicleshasbeenupgradedbythecompanytoEXF1950statusaspartofanexercisetodemonstratethefeasibilityofprovidingtacticalwireless
internetconnectivitythroughavehiclemountedradio.Overseveralmonths,StrykervehiclesequippedwiththeEXF1950operatedbytheforces4thBrigade,2nd
InfantryDivisionStrykerBrigadeCombatTeam(4/2SBCT)demonstratedthatthiswasfeasiblethusenablingtroopstoreceiveandsendemailtrafficfromtheir
Strykervehiclesusingasecurewirelessnetwork.Alongwithemailanddatahandlingacrossawirelessnetwork,thisupgradetotheEPLRSallowstroopstosend
andreceivedata.PriortothisupgradeitwasonlypossibleforStrykervehiclestojoinanuppertiertacticalinternetnetworkwhenintheproximityofafixed
transmittingpointataForwardOperatingBase,oraCombatOutpost,forexample.TheEXF1915enablesaStrykerBrigadetojoinUSArmymiddletierand
uppertierinternetnetworksandthusbenefitfromhighspeedinternetprotocolservicesacrosstheentirebrigade.
Inotherdevelopments,RaytheonannouncedinNovember2012thatithadsuccessfullydemonstratedtheSRWinitsMobileAdHocInteroperabilityNetwork
Gatewayradios,betterknownasMaingate.Thesignificanceofthedemonstrationisthatitillustratedtheabilityoftheseradiostocarryvoiceanddatatraffic
betweenaMaingateterminalandotherradiosusingtheSRW.AlongwithcarryingtheSRW,MaingatecanusetheNextGenerationMobileAdHocNetworking
Waveform(NMW).RaytheonhasdevelopedtheNMWand,inApril2012,thiswasacceptedintotheDepartmentofDefenseswaveformlibrarydevelopedaspart
oftheJTRSprogramme.NMWisdesignedtoprovidewidebandconnectivityforsmall,lowpowerconsumptionradios.
Asmentionedinthisarticle,waveformsare,forallintentsandpurposes,thesecretsauceofarmedforcesfuturetacticalcommunicationsneeds.Theycanbe
thoughtofassimilartotheappsfoundonciviliansmartphoneswhichenabletheusertoperformseveralfunctionswiththeirphoneoncetheseappsareinstalled.
JustassomesmartphonesnowhaveanapplicationfortheSkypeVOIPcommunicationssystem,theradioswhichhavebeen,andwillbe,developedfollowingthe
demiseoftheJTRSprogrammewillbeabletoperformanumberoffunctionsaccordingtothewaveformsthattheyhaveinstalled.Forexample,thesewaveforms
mayincludetheHavequickII,alegacySincgarserawaveformwhichenablessecurefrequencyhoppinggroundtoaircommunicationsacrossVHF/UHF225
400Mhz.SimilarlytheMuoswaveformdiscussedabovefacilitatessatellitecommunications,whileawaveformsupportingcivilianmarinebandradioat156Mhzis
alsoincludedinthelibrary.Tobetterfacilitatemultinationaloperations,someAlliedwaveformsmaybeincludedsuchasthosecompatiblewith
theUnitedKingdomsBowmanHF,VHFandUHFtacticalcommunicationssystem.Maingateisoneofthecandidateradios
fortheMNVRrequirement.AswellasrunningtheNMWandSRW,Raytheon
saysthatMaingatecanalsocarrytheMuos(seeabove).
Finally,thecompanyshowcaseditsnewJointTacticalAirController(JTAC)systematthe2013ParisAirShow.Currentlyinitsprototypestage,theJTACincludes
avestworncommunicationssystemwhichisconnectedtoaneyepiecewornbytheaircontroller.Whenheseesatargetofinterest,helooksatitdirectlyandpresses
abuttontodesignatethetarget.Thisimageryisthentransferredtoapilotinacombataircraftoverheadwhoimmediatelyseesthesametarget.Suchtechnologymay
goalongwayinhelpingtoavoidfratricideandcollateraldamagebyensuringthatbothpilotandJTACseeexactlythesametargetbeforeordnanceisreleased.

Reutech
ThepasttwelvemonthshasseenSouthAfricasReutechCommunicationsreleaseanewproductintothemarketplaceintheformoftheLandsecShortRange
CommunicationsSystemcomprisingthePCR4001EPersonalRoleRadioandtheVCR4001EVehicleRepeater.BilledasanewgenerationPersonalRole
NetworkedRadioforshortrageintrateamcommunicationsbyitsmanufacturer,thePCR4001Ecanperformhandsfreevoicecommunications,andhostmultiple
userswithapushtotalkpriorityoverrideandexternalaccesstotwocombatnetradios.
AbuiltinGPShasbeenincludedforblueforcetracking,andtheradiocanperformsimultaneousvoice,dataandimagerycommunications.Withanoperational
rangeofaroundonekilometre,thePCR4001EoperatesintheUHFbandatbetween410510Mhz.Oneoftheimpressivefeaturesoftheradioisitsbatterylife,

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rangeofaroundonekilometre,thePCR4001EoperatesintheUHFbandatbetween410510Mhz.Oneoftheimpressivefeaturesoftheradioisitsbatterylife,
whichprovidestoupto18hoursofoperationwithhotswappablebatteriesgivinganuninterruptedflowofcommunications.Fordata,thePCR4001Eprovidesa
userdatarateof64kbps.
InadditiontotheunveilingofthePCR4001E,ReutechannouncedinOctober2012thatitisgearingupforfullscaleproductionoftheirnewgenerationoftactical
radiosaspartoftheirofferingtotheSouthAfricanNationalDefenceForceandotherinternationalcustomers.Thisoverarchingfamilyofradiosincludesthefirms
MCR3005EV/UHFandMCR2005EVHFmanpackradios,itsMCR1025EHFmanpackandthevehiclemountedV/UHFVCR2050EandVCR3020E,plusthe
HFVCR1100E.Someadvanceproductionunitshasalreadybeendeliveredtoselectedusers.Thesecondstageoftherolloutprogrammewillseedeliveriesofthe
companysFCR5050EV/UHFfixedtransceiver,FCR1100EHFtransceiver,PCR4001E(seeabove),andthevehiclemountedVCR4001Eatalaterdate.Allof
theradioswhichReutechisdeliveringincludebuiltinGPSforblueforcetrackingandadvancedencryption.AllofthesewillalsorunthesocalledSouthAfrican
LinkZAnationaltacticaldatalinkwhichhasbeenindevelopmentsincethestartofthe21stCentury.LinkZAallowstheseamlesstransferofvoiceanddata
communicationsbetweenarmy,airandnavalforces.
IRockwellCollins
InMay2013,RockwellCollinsannouncedthatithadperformedtwolivetestsofitsWidebandHFradio,duringwhichthetransmissionofstreamingfullcolour
videowasdemonstratedalongsideadhocIPbasednetworking.Ofparticularinterestwastheabilitytohandletentimesthedataratesusuallyobtainablebyexisting
HFsystems,accordingtothecompany.Historically,HFradiohasbeeninvaluableatprovidinganoverthehorizonreach,buthasdonesoattheexpenseof
bandwidth,limitingthequantityofdatathatsuchcommunicationscanhandle.IncreasinglythebandwidthofHFradiosplaysanimportantpartinreducingthe
dependencethatarmedforceshaveonsatellitecommunicationswhichcanbeexpensivetoleaseandvulnerabletojamming.
DuringthatsamemonthRockwellCollinsSubNetRelay(SNR)productwasratifiedasmeetingNatosStandardisationAgreement4691(STANAG4691)which
coversMarlin(MobileAdHocRelayLineofSightIPNetworking).TheSNRhasbeendesignedtoallowtheuseofacommonfrequencytoestablishatactical
internetbetweenground,airandseavehicles.Thiscanbeaselfconfiguringandselfhealingnetworkusingeitherlegacyornewcommunicationssystems.In
additiontoproducingtheSNR,RockwellCollins,alongwithGeneralDynamics,isinvolvedintheproductionoftheAN/PRC155twochannelmanpacktactical
radiosfortheUSArmy.InlateNovember2012,thefirmreceivedacontracttoproducearoundhalfofthe3,700setswhichhavebeenorderedbytheUSArmywith
GeneralDynamicsproducingthebalance.

RohdeandSchwarz
GermantacticalradiospecialistsRohdeandSchwarzusedtheopportunityoftheInternationalDefenceExhibitioninAbuDhabithisyeartounveilitsnew,next
generationsoftwaredefineradio.Thefirmsfamilyofradiosandnetworkingwaveformsisdesignedforvehicularandsemifixedinstallationsprovidingupto50W
ofoutputpower,coveringthe30512HF/VHF/UHFranges.AlloftheradiosintherangeareSCAcompliant,whichallowsthewaveformsdevelopedbyother
manufacturerstobeportedintotheradiotoimproveinteroperability.
TheHDR(HighDataRate)waveformsdevelopedbyRohdeandSchwarztoaccompanytheSDTRfamilyareoptimizedtoprovidethebestrange,dataandsecurity
performancefortheuserdependingontheirrequirements,andthesecanbedirectlyselectedonthetransceiver.Aboveall,thesewaveformsenablemobile,IPbased
tacticalcommunicationsamustontodays,andtomorrows,battlefields.WhenonthemovetheHDRwaveformssupportManet,enablingtheautomatic
reconfigurationofvehicletovehiclecommunicationsnetworks.

SelexES
ThisItalianmilitarycommunicationsspecialisttookadvantageoftheSITDEFExhibitioninLima,PerutoshowcasebothitsSoldierSystemRadios.SelexsSSR
weighsaround600gramscompletewithitsbattery.TheUHFradioisavailableinboth400Mhzand900Mhzversionswiththeformerofferinganoperating
frequencyofbetween350and450Mhz,andthelatter856and900Mhz.Inruralterrain,theSSRshavearangeintheorderofonekilometreandhost256channels.
Upto32userscanbehostedonasingleSSRnet.SelexEStookmanyofthelessonslearnedfromthedesignofitsPersonalRoleRadio(PRR),althoughtherangeof
theSSRissufficienttosupportextendedsquadoperations.

Thales
ThalesisforgingaheadwiththeContactprogrammefortheFrencharmedforces.Announcedlastyear,ContactwillequiptheFrencharmy,navyandairforcewith
newgenerationSDRsfordifferentplatformsnamelyvehicles,helicopters,fightersandships,aswellasdismountedcommanders.Theprogrammeprovides
connectivitytothesoldieronthefieldaswellasinteroperabilitywithalliedandcoalitionforcesand,comparedwithtodaysradios,itenablesfastertransmission
speedsandhighergradesecurity.
OneimportantaspectoftheContactprogrammeisthattheradiosthatwillbedesignedandprocuredwillbecompatiblewiththeexistingwaveformsusedbythe
ThalesPR4GF@stNetfamilyofradiosusedbytheFrencharmedforces.ThePR4GF@stNetfamilyincludestheTRC9105andTRC9110VeryHighFrequency
(VHF)handheldradios,TRC9210VHFmanpack,TRC9310A/APVHFvehicularset,TRC9310B/CVHFvehiculardualfitstation,andVery/UltraHigh
Frequency(V/UHF)airborneradios.
ThecompanyiscurrentlyintheContactprojectdefinitionphasetobecompletedby2014.Oncethedefinitionphaseiscomplete,thefirmexpectstocommencethe
developmentofaprototypetransceiver.Followingthisproofofconceptworkwillbeperformedin2015withelementsoftheoverallContactarchitecturebeing
insertedintoexistingFrenchcommunicationsnetworksthereafter.
AkeyelementoftheContactarchitecture,asnotedabove,isinteroperability.ThiswillbeachievedbytheincorporationoftheEssor(EuropeanSecureSoftware
definedRadio)adhocnetworkinghighdataratewaveformsintotheoverallContactwaveform
librarywhichwillalsosupportthefutureCoalwnw(CoalitionWidebandNetworkingWaveform).TheEssorisaprojectrunundertheauspicesoftheEuropean
DefenceAgencywhichintends
todevelopstandardsandprotocolscompliantwithandcomplementingtheSoftwareCommunicationsArchitecture2.2.2standard,betterknownasSCA2.2.2.This
isanopenarchitecturestandardrelatingtohardwareandsoftwareSDRdesigncriteria.Theaimistoenablefuturecommunicationssystemstointeroperatewith
communicationsequipmentdevelopedaspartoftheJTRSprogramme.Inaddition,itwilldevelopaHighDataRateWaveform(HDWF)whichcanbeportedinto
thecommunicationssystemsoftheparticipatingnations(Finland,France,Italy,Poland,SpainandSweden).TheCoalwnwincludeselevennationsnotably,the
UnitedStatesandmostofthesixparticipatingcountriesintheEssorinitiative,andseekstoeventuallydevelopacoalitionwidebandnetworkingwaveformwhich
canbeusedbyalloftheparticipatingcountriestoenhanceinteroperability.ThetacticallevelHighDataRateWaveform(HDRWF)beingdevelopedaspartofthe
EssorundertakingisacandidatefortheCoalwnw.TheContactprogrammewillportthewaveformsdevelopedasaresultoftheEssorandCoalwnwinitiatives.
AlongsideitsleadingroleintheContactprogramme,ThalessAmericansubsidiaryhasdevelopedtheMBITR2(thenextgenerationMultibandInter/IntraTeam
Radio)whichiscurrentlyundergoingtestswiththeUnitedStatesarmedforces.MBITR2canperformsimultaneousnarrowandwidebandoperationsusingasingle
handheldtransceiver.WhileitretainsthewaveformsofthelegacyVHF/UHFAN/PRC148JEM(JTRSEnhancedMBITR),notablySincgarsandtheHavequickI/II
UHFfrequencyhoppingprotectionprotocol,itaddsasecondwidebandchannelwhichenablesdataandvideoreceptionandtransmission.Thisalsopermitstheuser
toaccesswidebandtacticalnetworksviatheSRW.Meanwhile,anembeddedGPSaffordstheradioablueforcetrackingcapability.Thalesplantoproducea
portableamplifierwhichwillallowtheMBITR2tobecomeavehicularormanpackradiointhefuture.
AlthoughThalessPR4GradiofamilyhasbeeninservicebothinFranceandaroundtheworldforsometimenow,thefirmisevolvingtherange.ItsnewTRC9110
VHFhandheldradioisenteringtheproductionphase.TheTRC9110isasmalllightweighthandheldradioofferingthesamefeaturesandsamewaveformthatexist
inthemanpackandthevehicularstations.Anew50Wlightvehiclestation(TRC9310L)basedonthishandheldandequippedwithaboosteriscompletingthe
currentPR4GF@stnetfamily.AllthenewequipmentincludesThalessnewGeoMuxVHFwaveformwhichisdedicatedtovoice,dataandpositionreporting,
featuringoneofthemostadvancedVHFwaveformsonthemarket.Inaddition,adatatransferrateof100kbpshasbeendemonstratedwhichThalesexpectsto
delivertocustomersnextyear.
Fortheindividualsoldier,UHFtrafficcanbehandledbyThalessSt@rMillefamilywhichoffersthreestandardwaveformscoveringintrasquad,intraplatoonand
weaponssystemcommunications.AhighdataratewaveformcanbeusedbytheSt@rMillefamilytoenablesimultaneousvoice,dataandGPStransmissions.
Availableinthreedifferenthardwareversions(handheld,vehicularandhighpower),ST@rMilleoffershighmobilityindifferentoperativescenarios(urban,
suburbanandrural),selfformingandselfmanagingnetworkswithoutneedforanyinfrastructure,automaticreportingoftheGPSposition,ahighdataratecapacity,
includinglivevideotransmissionsandsecurecommunicationsviaitsembeddedAESbasedencryptionalgorithm.
Asnotedabove,ThaleshasapresenceintheUnitedStatesmostnotablythroughtheuseofitsAN/PRC148JEMradiosbytheUSarmedforces.Thecompanyis
involvedwiththeAN/PRC154RiflemanradiowhichithasjointlydevelopedandmanufacturedwithGeneralDynamics.Currently,theUSArmyhasaround20,000
oftheseradiosonorderfromthetwocompanieswhicharebeingprocuredviaalowrateinitialproductioninitiative.
Finally,someinterestingworkisbeingperformedbyThalesregardingHFcommunications.HFhasthebenefitofprovidingoverthehorizonranges,thankstothe
abilityofitstransmissionstousetheionosphereasaspringboardfromwhichitcanbounceoffinasimilarfashiontoapebblethrownacrossalake.Thisenables
HFtoavoidthecurvatureoftheEarthwhichactsasanobstacle,muchasitdoesforconventionallineofsightVHFandUHFcommunications.

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HFtoavoidthecurvatureoftheEarthwhichactsasanobstacle,muchasitdoesforconventionallineofsightVHFandUHFcommunications.
ThalesiscurrentlyworkingonwidebandHFstandardsdesignedtoincreasethethroughputofHFtransmissions.TheseeffortsfocusongatheringnoncontiguousHF
channelstogether,whichisakintobindingseveralfibresintoonethickrope.EachHFchanneltendstohandlearoundninetotenkilobitspersecondofdata.Asa
meansofcomparisontheauthorscurrentwificonnectionhandles54megabitspersecondupto5,400timesmoredatathanasingleHFchannel.However,the
tradeoffisthatisdoesthisacrossarangemeasuredinmetres.HFcarriesnotablymuchlessdata,butitsattractionisthatitcandothisacrossthousandsofmiles.
Canthisdatarate/rangecirclebesquared?Usingtheropeanalogy,bygroupingseveralHFchannelstogether,youcanincreasethequantityofdatawhichcanbe
transmitted.ThisisdonebyscanningHFradioschannelstofindthechannelsthatarenotbeingused.Oncetheseareidentified,thechannelsaregroupedtogetherfor
thetransmissionofdata.Forexample,uptotenchannelscouldbeconnectedtogethertoprovideupto100kbpsofbandwidthacrossanHFlink.Suchdataratesare
stilleclipsedbythoseofferedusingVHF,UHFandsatellitecommunications,buttheycouldbeveryusefulinprovidinganalternateverylongdistancenarrowband
communicationslinkforwrittenmessagesandvoice,suchasthosetransferredbetweenshipsdeployedonthehighseasinataskforce.

UltraElectronics
InMay2013,UltraElectronicsunveileditsnewOrionhighcapacitylineofsightradio.TheOrioncanbeusedtoconnecthigherechelonlevelsofcommandwith
tacticalnetworksandcanbeemployedasbothabackhaulrepeaterandarangeextensionnode.Thesetcanprovideaccesstothreeradiochannelssimultaneously
acrossmultiplefrequencybands.Theradiocanhandleuptoonegigabitpersecondofdata,andincludesAES256levelembeddedcryptography.Orionsupportsa
numberofwaveforms,includingthoseutilizedbythecompanysAN/GRC245A(V)HighCapacityLineofSightradios.TheAN/GRC245A(V)isatribandradio
whichcanhandleupto16mbpsoffullduplextrafficandcanachievesuchhighdatathroughputsevenatlongrange,althoughthiscanbeoptionallyincreasedto
ratesof34mbps.ItcoverstheVHF/UHF225400Mhz,13502690Mhz,andSuperHighFrequency(SHF)44005000Mhzfrequencyranges,with125khzofchannel
spacing.Usingthe225400Mhzfrequencyrange,theradiocanhandle256kbps16mbpsatadistancegreaterthan50km,256kbps34mbpsatrangesinexcessof
55kmwhenusing13502690Mhzpartofthespectrum(thisisdependentonanoptionalEnhancedPowerMode),andthesamedatathroughoutatrangesinexcessof
40kmwhenusingthe44005000Mhzfrequencyband.EmbeddedAES256standardencryptionisincludedalongwiththeabilitytosupportarangeofSCAcertified
waveforms.TheAN/GRC245A(V)isinservicewiththearmedforcesofCanada,Chile,Jordan,theUnitedKingdom,andtheUnitedStates.
UltraElectronicsothersimilarproductsincludetheHighCapacityMultiMissionRadio.ThisusestheSHF44005000Mhzsegmentofthespectrum.Itcantransmit
dataatratesofbetween34kbpsupto100mbps.Whentransmittingat34kbps,theradiooccupies10Mhz.Thisincreasesto15Mhzwhentransmitting70kbpsand
18Mhzwhenoperatingat100mbps.TheHighCapacityMultiMissionRadioiscompatiblewiththeAN/GRC245A(V),andsupportsanumberofwaveforms.

Ultralife
Tacticalradiosarehighlydependentontheiraccompanyingaccessoriestoensuresmoothoperation.Thisincludesdedicatedamplifierswhichcanextendtherange
andpowerofexistingproducts.InMay2013,UltralifeCorporationunveileditsnewA750075Wmultiband,multimodetacticalamplifier.TheA7500supportsa
widerangeofwaveformsincludingSRW,HavequickandSincgars,tonamebutthree,andcanoperateinconjunctionwiththefirmsA320V2A20Wamplifier.
SupportingtheSRWandanumberoflegacywaveforms,theA320V2AformspartofUltralifesA320tacticalamplifierrangeanditcoverstheHFtolowUHF
frequencyranges.

IARModularRF
NewtacticalamplifiersarealsoavailablefromARModularRF.ThefirmisintroducingitsLbandAR55Lamplifierwhichisspecificallydesignedasanetworking
amplifiersystemandiscompliantwithSRW,andalsowithHarrissproprietaryANW2waveform.TheAR55Liscurrentlycompletingtesting,andthefirmis
hopingtoenterproductioninthenearfuture.BothofthesewaveformscanalsobecarriedbyARModularRFslegacyAR50amplifier.Todate,thecompanysays
thatithasshippedthousandsoftheselatterproductswhichwillintheirstandardconfigurationcarrynotonlylegacywaveformsbutalsothenewnetworking
waveformsdevelopedasaresultoftheJTRSinitiative.AllofARModularRFstacticalboosteramplifierproductsareessentiallytransceiveragnosticandare
usedwithAN/PRC117G,AN/PRC152,andAN/PRC148MBITRradios.Thefirmsaysthatgoingforwardtheyexpecttheirproductstobeusedextensivelywith
theAN/RPC154RiflemanRadio(seeabove)asthatproductentersservice.
Althoughtheymayseemsomewhatmorehumdrumthantheallsinging,alldancingmultibandtransceiversdiscussedabove,tacticalradiosarelittlemorethanbox
fullofelectronicswithoutantennas.SignificantresearchanddevelopmentisflowingintoantennatechnologywithPharadintroducinganewLbandantennainearly
July2013.ThisLbandantennaiswearableandoperatesefficientlyoverthe1,3501390Mhzrange.Itcanbeusedforanumberofapplicationsincludingpointto
point,pointtomultipointandpushtotalkcommunications.
Thepasttwelvemonthshasunderscoredthat,whiledefencebudgetsarefeelingthepinch,theglobalmodernizationoflandforcestacticalcommunications
continues.Ofcourseitisimpossibletopredicttheextenttowhichvariousprogrammeswilldecrease,increaseorchangeinscopeandreachoverthecomingyears.
Thatsaidaconsensusseemstobeemergingthatarmiesaroundtheworldneedwidebandlongrangenetworkingatallechelons,mostnoticeablyinthehandsofthe
individualsolder.Satellitecommunicationsisincreasinglyformingastandardpartofanarmystacticalcommunicationssuiteofsystemsandreadersareadvisedto
consultArmadasrecentlypublishedarticlesexploringsatcomsformoreinformation,whilehighbandwidthsareinhighdemand.Arguably,theworldofland
tacticalcommunicationsisstillsomewaybehinditsbetterfundedciviliancellularcounterpartintermsoffunctionalityandreachbutitiscatchingup,andcatching
upfast!

3M
Althoughextremelywellknowninthecivilianwordforawiderangeofproducts,3Misinvolvedintheproductionoftacticalradioaccessories.Inparticular,the
firmproducesahandsomerangeofradioheadsets.Ofteninadvertentlyneglectedheadsettechnologyisoneofthefastestmovingareasofthetacticalradiodomain,
withrecentcombatoperationshighlightingtheneedtoensurethatsoldierscanhearradiotrafficclearlyhavetheirearsprotectedandatthesametimeareawareof
necessaryambientnoisetoensuretheirsituationalawareness.3MsradioheadsetproductlineincludestheComtacseriesofnextgenerationheadsetsandavariety
ofpushtotalkandmicrophoneaccessories.Thecompanysaysthatnewproductsareinthepipeline,whichitexpectstobringtomarketsoon.

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