Elektrobit (EB) has been awarded a contract modification for supply of additional EB tactical wireless IP network communication systems to address The Finnish Defence Forces‘ communication requirements.
Covering deliveries of tactical routers and radio head units, the €7m contract represents continuation of a tactical wireless IP network development and pilot delivery contract secured by the company in September 2011.
EB product manager Reima Kettunen said the contract for serial delivery of tactical wireless IP network, which has been jointly manufactured with the Finnish Defence Forces, demonstrated the system’s ability to respond to the strict requirements set.
"The intensive collaboration has refined the product qualities and accelerated the development work and field testing," Kettunen added.
EB land forces material department major engineer Jari Viuho said the tactical wireless IP network was put through intensive performance and field testing last year, and would now move from piloting to the implementation phase.
Based on software-defined radio architecture, the EB tactical wireless IP network is a stand-alone military/authority wireless broadband network designed to facilitate establishment of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) for ground-based operations in harsh environmental conditions.
Fully compatible with the existing wired and wireless infrastructures, the easy-to-adapt and upgradeable network can set up a high-data rate mesh network solution with automatic network configuration, which is required by mobile troops in the battlefield.
With a coverage limit of 0km-30km, depending on antenna configuration, antenna height, and frequency, the system is capable of creating high data rate wireless internet protocol (IP) network as the backbone to support command and control (C2) data transmission during military operations.
Deliveries under the contract are scheduled to be finalised by the end of March 2014.
Image: A Finnish army personnel assembles an antenna during a communications interoperability exercise in Grafenwoehr, Germany. Photo: courtesy of SSgt Tim Chacon.
