Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1488818
PERAD PERSONAL RADIO The WB Group has been aware of the threat the individual units may face on the battlefield if the EM signature of the communication sys- tems is not tamed. This stems from many years of experience, tied to the implementation of a BMS-class solution in the Polish Armed Forces. Proprietary analytical effort and gathering of information on conflicts where EW was employed have turned out to be quite important here. That effort resulted in the development of a digital PERsonal RADio (PERAD). That system, fused with other solutions, acts as a base for the SILENT NETWORK system. The radio has been developed as a part of the Polish Tytan Future Soldier combat ensemble. PERAD has filled in the gap in the WB Group's offer. It makes it possible to obtain a whole new set of communication capabilities. The radio offers rapid frequency hopping (up to 700 changes per second), full-duplex communications for 10 users (conference call mode), and rapid start-up (ready for operation in less than 5 seconds). The PERAD Personal Radio offers low spectrum density of the emis- sions, hopping, and embedded encryption algorithms. It is an effective barrier preventing detection and plausible transmission intercepts. A smart energy management system allows for many days of operation in energy-saving modes, including the search mode. The radio's software also ensures high levels of interoperability. PERAD also features an an- ti-bugging security measure. Every radio acts as a miniaturized base station, an autonomous net- work node supporting other, connected devices. This allows the PERAD radios to autonomously create MESH data exchange and communica- tions networks in an ad hoc manner. Network as such allows all, even the most remote elements of such a system, to access the transmitted data reliably. This results in accessibility levels on par with modern telecom- munications infrastructure, yet in circumstances and conditions when the use of standard networks is impossible. The digital PERAD Personal Radio is compatible with other solutions offered by the WB Group. The radio in question has been comprehen- sively integrated with the FONET digital communications platform, and the U-GATE personal command and surveillance system. Low power re- quirements (1W), and a smart energy management system make it far more challenging for the enemy to detect a radio that remains online. Furthermore, the radios may work for many days, when power-saving modes are employed. PERAD is relatively compact - its dimensions are 223x88x44 mm, and the radio weighs just 900 grams. The device features an embedded GPS receiver and offers battery operation time of up to 48 hours, or up to 12 months in the HUB (Hold Up Battery) mode. The radio is operational in the temperature range from -33°C to +55°C, and it may be stored in temperatures from -51°C to +71°C. The device can be fully immersed in water, at depth of up to 1 meter, for 2 hours. The radio offers a communications capability at a distance of up to 8 kilometers. The range may be significantly extended, up to several ki- lometers, when the devices are used to create a MESH network in an ad hoc manner, to connect even 100 personal radios at once. PERAD utiliz- es a SIP protocol. Each of the users may have a number assigned, and he may also join the radio network, originating from an IP network. IP con- nectivity makes it possible to connect to another radio, or transfer data. Low spectrum density of the emitted signals, hopping, as well as em- bedded encryption algorithms altogether form an effective barrier, pre- venting transmission detection and intercept by unauthorized persons. This has been made possible thanks to original frequency hopping algo- rithms and flexible waveform tailoring, to meet the current requirements and external conditions. Each radio acts as an independent node in a broader network. PERAD is a personal, miniaturized base station. It provides support for other radios or nodes, with a retransmission ca- pacity of almost any reach. The radio uses three base waveforms changed on the go. It is also a miniaturized SDR transceiver, making digital voice transmission and par- allel data stream transmission possible. The waveforms use the COFDM (Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) and TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) schemes for data transfer. The base broadband, 1 Mbit/s waveform makes it possible to main- tain duplex communications and transmit data in a squad setting, and also allows for the automatic establishment of a self-organizing MESH network. The other one is a 4 Mbit/s broadband waveform for the es- tablishment of portable radio links, at distances of up to 10 kilometers. www.fragoutmag.com www.fragoutmag.com