Communications are important for all military operations. However, when operating in areas where there is no line-of-sight link available, SATCOM becomes vital. SATCOM-on-the-move solutions enable the military to communicate while they are on the move in vehicles. Airbus Secure Communications, a division of Airbus Defence & Space, has announced the release of a land-based SATCOM On The Move solution (OTM-T) that offers constant communication link through a secure connection for operational units in field. The solution offers engaged units in operation a secure broadband connection with high availability to exchange videos, voice and operational flows in fast moving circumstances.
The Airbus solution is a dual-band system, which is compact, measuring around 800 mm in diameter and 400 mm in height, and lightweight less than 60 kg, which can easily be integrated into an armored vehicle. It uses two antennas with radiant panels assembled on top of one another. One antenna uses X-Band, while the other uses the Mil-Ka band and is sheltered by a ballistic radome to protect it from small gauge weapons. The X-Band Antenna operates from 7.25 GHz to 7.75 GHz (Space to Earth) and 7.9 GHz to 8.4 GHz (Earth to Space), while the Mil-Ka band antenna uses operates at 20/30 GHz.
The band frequency change does not need satellite aiming modification or action on the antennas, but is made by an operator’s command. This unique capacity allows great flexibility, whether for mission planning in the operations theater for the land forces or for the satellite operator during the satellite planning phase. In the operations conducting phase, frequency changes are made from the OTM-T station.
In case of heavy rain (Mil-Ka band) or jamming (X-band or Mil-Ka band) this enables all users to maintain the necessary broadband to achieve their mission.
Key Features of the Airbus SATCOM On the Move Terminal:
- Unique capacity, non-simultaneous dual-bands X or Mil-Ka guaranteeing permanent link throughout any electromagnetic environmental conditions
- Maximum operational flexibility in mission planning and mission conduct with a band change managed by a simple operator command
- Compatible with military armored vehicle environment such as Scorpion or DBLO programs
- Compatible with all IP modems (DVB, SCPC, Military frequency hopping waveform)
- Broadband capacity with ballistic radome: X-band up to 1 Mbps (fallback up to 100 kbps), Mil-Ka Band up to 2 Mbps (fallback up to 512 kbps)
Click here to learn more about Airbus Secure Communications.
