Satellite Technology Feature Article
September 09, 2009
Harris Corporation Adds Broadband Satellite Capability to Falcon III RF-7800M Radio
By Shamila Janakiraman, TMCnet Contributor
Harris Corporation has added broadband-satellite capability to its Falcon III RF-7800M wideband networking manpack radio. According to Harris, the enhancement is expected to allow global-area high-data-rate communications between military commanders and personnel at the tactical edge, the company said.
Company sources said that the integration of the RF-7800M radio and the Harris RF-7800B family of ruggedized Broadband Global Area Network satellite terminals will provide secure beyond-line-of-sight network connectivity to soldiers in the war front.
“The integration of the RF-7800M with our tactical BGAN terminals creates a powerful system that will provide our customers with capabilities they cannot get anywhere else,” said Hal McDougall, vice president and acting general manager of international business for Harris RF Communications.
“Our integrated system provides high-speed, secure communication links between the first tactical mile and strategic infrastructure, providing voice relay, ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) data and a common operating picture,” McDougall said.
The RF-7800M is capable of providing advanced voice and data wideband line-of-sight networking capabilities that leverage Harris’s “Advanced Networking Wideband Waveform” technology. This waveform provides secure voice transmission besides streaming video, biometrics, classified Internet access and other applications to soldiers engaged in military operations.
Harris officials said that the software upgrade will extend the range of ANW2 data beyond line-of-sight by linking the radio to the BGAN network via the RF-7800B. The system allows throughput rates of up to 2 Mbps over the BGAN network when employing embedded TCP/IP acceleration and compression.
Also the RF-7800M is an integrated, military-rugged, mobile, wideband SATCOM system which can seamlessly provide high-speed encrypted IP data covering the war zone.
