The Austrian Armed Forces and Thales have signed a contract for the delivery of more than 2,500 SquadNet tactical radios. This is intended to drive forward the digital modernization of the Austrian army.
In modern combat, maintaining contact is a key to success in combat operations. Getting the right information at the right time can mean the difference between life and death. Communication in these challenging environments therefore requires a robust and trustworthy solution. SquadNet is designed to provide just such a robust solution, enabling effective communication and situational awareness in dismounted operations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS4aIgngYHg&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thalesgroup.com%2F&embeds_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thalesgroup.com&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title According to the manufacturer, SquadNet is “the latest network soldier radio developed by Thales for modern combat operations”.
“With Thales SquadNet, the Austrian Armed Forces will be one of the first European countries to use a state-of-the-art software-defined radio system with fully digital signal processing and thus achieve technological leadership in the field of tactical communications,” says Hannes Boyer, CEO & Country Director of Thales in Austria. “As a trusted partner, Thales is very pleased to support the Austrian Ministry of Defence in the modernization and digitalization of its armed forces.”
“With Thales SquadNet, the Austrian Armed Forces will achieve technological leadership in the field of tactical communications”
Thales Österreich-CEO Hannes Boyer
Thanks to the integrated receiver for Blue Force Tracking (GPS) and situational awareness, position data can be securely transmitted to an Android device via Bluetooth, allowing the user to recognize not only their own position, but also that of allied soldiers. Using the Android app that provides this functionality, soldiers can use IP networks – such as 3G, LTE and WLAN – to use a web bridge function to extend their area of operation.
This function makes it possible to form a fully networked, coordinated combat unit from dispersed, disparate groups of infantrymen in the battlefield. SquadNet differs from conventional radios, which are limited to their point-to-point ranges, beyond which no communication can take place. This is because the automatic relay mode ensures that communication is maintained across urban, wooded and mountainous areas. This functionality allows up to three hops to extend the operational radius beyond the simple point-to-point range, while improving the reliability of the communication network. In open terrain, SquadNet has a point-to-point range of up to 2.5 kilometers, which is extended to up to 6 kilometers by automatic relaying. Even if the network range has been exceeded, SquadNet can be used to maintain secure communication via IP networks using an Android application.
