Troops in and out of vehicles communicating in the battlefield has long been a problem due to noise, interference, and intermittent audio on the mobile ad hoc networking (MANET) radios. But with a firmware upgrade to portable radios from Persistent Systems, LLC), those devices can interface with any communications equipment using the TOCNET-G4 unified voice management system for tactical military vehicles from SCI Technology. The upgrade enhances communications between dismounted troops and vehicle crews, allowing handheld MPU5 MANET radios to communicate with vehicle radios for improved situational awareness.
Nicholas Naioti, vice-president of business development at Persistent Systems, said: “Before this upgrade, you had to deal with crackly audio and messy headset plug-ins, which was not ideal when you were taking fire. Now everything is smooth, fast, and automatic.” He added: “Anyone on Persistent’s Wave Relay MANET can communicate on the TOCNET-G4, so now headquarters has a direct line to an individual vehicle driver.”
The TOCNET-G4 radio links to the Wave Relay MANET radio via a third radio, the GVR5 dual-band networking radio developed by Persistent Systems with General Dynamics Mission Systems for tracked and wheeled vehicles (see the figure). The GVR5 becomes a form of middle radio between the TOCNET-G4 and Wave Relay MANET radios. Ed Reber, director of the Army C3T business area at General Dynamics Mission Systems, explains: “Everything is Ethernet-based. There is no need for extra cabling, which reduces cost and logistics requirements. With this capability, you can just 'dial' a specific crewman or connect with someone who is part of a force operating in a specific location.”