General Dynamics’ [GD] Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit (HMS) radios will enable communication between tactical vehicles while they are on-the-move, and the company is demonstrating the capability at the Nov. 18-19 MILCOM 2008 military communication forum in San Diego.
The Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Wideband Networking Waveform and 802.16 wireless networking technologies are bringing the added capability. The software makes the radios suitable for communicating large amounts of information and for on-line collaboration between moving vehicles.
General Dynamics C4 Systems is currently under contract to deliver the HMS radios to the Defense Department.
The demonstration shows HMS radios meeting battlefield-networking requirements.
The radios embed waveforms, like the Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW) and IEEE 802.16 or WiMAX wide-area networking to provide the needed bandwidth and spectrum range to facilitate communication between tactical vehicles while they are moving.
The radios also meet requirements by rapidly increasing the radios’ mission scope by enabling communication between vehicles and soldiers on the ground.
Chris Brady, vice president of Assured Communications Systems for General Dynamics C4 Systems, said: “Demonstrating WNW and 802.16 for advanced, high-speed networking places HMS in a class by itself for performance and efficiency.”
HMS radios are designed to meet all JTRS waveform-compliance, interoperability and security standards, the company said. The first HMS radios will be in warfighters’ hands in early 2010.
Other HMS radios are currently being tested by users to prove their effectiveness in close-combat tactical communication, including the Rifleman radio in use by the Army’s Evaluation Task Force at Fort Bliss, Texas. The Rifleman radio mirrors the Small Form Fit- C (SFF-C) Version 1 of HMS with additional radio controls and its own power supply.