(Source: Australian Department of Defence; issued June 4, 2004)
The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and command and control systems company Saab Systems will use a newly signed Capability Technology Demonstrator (CTD) contract to take battlefield communications to new levels of performance.
“The contract allows us to take mature technologies and put them into new contexts,†said Dr Len Sciacca, Chief of DSTO’s Electronic Warfare and Radar Division.
The tests will demonstrate the benefits to the Australian Army’s Battlefield Command Support System of high bandwidth battlefield data networks, using both ground and airborne systems equipped with Raytheon’s Enhanced Position Location and Reporting System (EPLRS).
In this concept Saab will integrate the new EPLRS-Lite with the Australian built Aerosonde Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to provide seamless network coverage and long range network extension, regardless of the ground environment.
DSTO is evaluating remotely controlled UAVs for their potential to provide electronic warfare, radar jamming, surveillance and intelligence gathering capabilities for the Australian Defence Force.
“This UAV based airborne node will give us the ability to provide line-of-sight radio capability across any terrain, essentially offering satellite quality communications without the associated cost,†Dr Sciacca said. The CTD would form an integral part of DSTO’s Automation of the Battlespace Initiative.
Saab Systems Autonomous Airborne Tactical Data Radio Relay (ATDRR) Project Manager Mr. David Ledger said the Tactical Data Radio Relay capability would play an important role in the networked battlefields of the future and may benefit other Australian Defence Force programs like Joint Project 2072 (Battlespace Communications - Land), Joint Project 129 (Airborne Surveillance for Land Operations) and Land 125 (Soldier Combat System).
“The existing Combat Net Radio system limits the evolution of command support systems so high bandwidth systems such as EPLRS are seen as a possible solution for future battlefield networks,†he said.
The Capability Technology Demonstrator is founded on the previous two years’ work with automation of the battlespace by Saab Systems and DSTO as part of the DSTO’s Nervana UAV program project. The contract will allow Saab Systems to undertake a series of trials, culminating in a field demonstration of the Airborne Tactical Data Radio Relay system in 2004.
The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and command and control systems company Saab Systems will use a newly signed Capability Technology Demonstrator (CTD) contract to take battlefield communications to new levels of performance.
“The contract allows us to take mature technologies and put them into new contexts,†said Dr Len Sciacca, Chief of DSTO’s Electronic Warfare and Radar Division.
The tests will demonstrate the benefits to the Australian Army’s Battlefield Command Support System of high bandwidth battlefield data networks, using both ground and airborne systems equipped with Raytheon’s Enhanced Position Location and Reporting System (EPLRS).
In this concept Saab will integrate the new EPLRS-Lite with the Australian built Aerosonde Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to provide seamless network coverage and long range network extension, regardless of the ground environment.
DSTO is evaluating remotely controlled UAVs for their potential to provide electronic warfare, radar jamming, surveillance and intelligence gathering capabilities for the Australian Defence Force.
“This UAV based airborne node will give us the ability to provide line-of-sight radio capability across any terrain, essentially offering satellite quality communications without the associated cost,†Dr Sciacca said. The CTD would form an integral part of DSTO’s Automation of the Battlespace Initiative.
Saab Systems Autonomous Airborne Tactical Data Radio Relay (ATDRR) Project Manager Mr. David Ledger said the Tactical Data Radio Relay capability would play an important role in the networked battlefields of the future and may benefit other Australian Defence Force programs like Joint Project 2072 (Battlespace Communications - Land), Joint Project 129 (Airborne Surveillance for Land Operations) and Land 125 (Soldier Combat System).
“The existing Combat Net Radio system limits the evolution of command support systems so high bandwidth systems such as EPLRS are seen as a possible solution for future battlefield networks,†he said.
The Capability Technology Demonstrator is founded on the previous two years’ work with automation of the battlespace by Saab Systems and DSTO as part of the DSTO’s Nervana UAV program project. The contract will allow Saab Systems to undertake a series of trials, culminating in a field demonstration of the Airborne Tactical Data Radio Relay system in 2004.