Special operators gain a galaxy of vital information at the edge. By Henry Canaday, SOTECH Correspondent U.S. ground forces are moving toward communication networks that will connect headquarters, small units and even individual warfighters very flexibly. Voice, data, pictures, videos and locations will be shared as needed, in or near real time, for a much clearer picture of both friend and foe. That’s the destination, but there are challenges. For example, there are the issues of security and doing without the infrastructure that makes civilian networks so powerful. And the gear to do it all must be rugged enough for combat, affordable under tight budgets and light enough to move nimbly in the field. Vendors are working hard to meet all these tough requirements. Iridium now has 66 low-earth orbiting satellites that provide complete pole-to-pole coverage, noted Scott Scheimrief, vice president of Iridium’s government division. The satellites’ altitude, 475 nautical miles above the surface, reduces delays and enables lower power and smaller form factors for ground equipment, compared with the 20,000- to 25,000-mile altitude of other satellite systems. The transceiver is about the size of a postage stamp. Iridium launched the Distributed Tactical Communication System (DTCS) in 2009 to enable push-to-talk, point-to-point voice and data communication in Afghanistan. DCTS now supports 6,000 tactical radios there. The next phase of DTCS, expected to be completed toward the end of 2013, will take the system globally. Scheimrief said Iridium works closely with several hundred communication partners, including the major manufacturers of military radios, to ensure its satellite network will continue to interoperate with both current and future communication devices, including multimode devices and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) smartphones using Android operating systems. 4 | SOTECH 10.5
Harris CapRock provides end-to-end solutions for comms on the move and on handheld devices, explained Jim Tran, vice president of defense and federal solutions. “We do en-route planning for satellite communication on the move, from aircraft, helicopters and vehicles,” Tran said. “They want to put as much as possible on iPhones, and we have applications for these to provide secure voice and other data.” The aim is to make communication lighter and leaner. “For example, instead of a 12-meter satellite communication antenna, we have an 18-inch one that weighs 31 pounds,” Tran said. The firm’s compact terminal offers a lightweight, portable manpack satellite solution for government and military users deployed in remote areas of operation. The innovative, user-friendly terminal is designed for highly mobile incidental operators and easily connects to the company’s CommandAccess network. Setup and operation are simple, and communication is ensured in adverse conditions. The terminal has advanced cooling, auto-assist pointing using logical frontpanel display and an internal compass and GPS. Harris CapRock’s CommandAccess is the industry’s first military-grade commercial satellite subscription service designed for deployment in remote areas, according to the company. Developed to augment the Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) program, CommandAccess gives customers with portable and man-pack terminals two-way broadband subscription services at guaranteed speeds up to 1 megabyte per second. It is available by site or as a private network, and start-up time is minimal. The company is distinguished by its end-to-end approach and loyal customers. “We are very good at service,” Tran said. “They never have to ask twice for assistance.” He said his company provides 98 percent of African Command’s bandwidth and all Marine Corps reach-back. www.SOTECH-kmi.com