John Long was recently asked to sit down with the editors of Military & Aerospace Electronics to discuss how Radisys technology is helping to enable wireless communications in harsh environments, such as the battlefield.
Is there a real need for 3G and 4G wireless technology in military and aerospace environments?
One thing that everyone found surprising in Afghanistan and Iraq is the insurgents’ use of cell phones. They were able to be very mobile, communicate via SMS (short message service) and voice, gain better situational awareness, and respond to threats and opportunities much better than the U.S. troops.
We’re seeing a lot of interest to provide some of the same functionality to the U.S. troops. The problems they are trying to solve include: increasing bandwidth within a geographical location, enabling faster sharing of information (voice, data, and video), and providing a robust, yet secure wireless network. We see 4G LTE and, to some extent, 3G applications really playing a role in aerospace/defense and public safety-federal agencies that need to set up critical communications quickly.
There is a need for everything from a system with the femtocell and core network in a backpack, all the way to larger-scale infrastructure that might be a mobile command center covering a larger tactical area.
The Military & Aerospace article addresses the communications challenges facing today’s military.
