Army completes battlefield test of software-defined radio
- By Defense Systems Staff
- Feb 13, 2012
The Army's 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan recently completed an operational assessment of the software-programmable Joint Tactical Radio Systems Rifleman Radio that highlighted its ability to share combat-relevant information, voice and data across small units in real time,
the Army said. The assessment marked the first formal combat use of the single-channel, software-defined Rifleman Radio that uses Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW), a waveform that draws on a larger part of the available spectrum compared with legacy radios to share information, the service also said.
The Rifleman Radio and SRW allowed Ranger units to establish a mobile, ad-hoc network where squad leaders, commanders and dismounted infantry had the ability to quickly share and view mission-essential information by using small handheld, end-user devices with display screens showing digital maps locating nearby friendly forces and surrounding terrain, the Army added.