Raytheon has secured a ten-year contract worth up to $663m to deliver troposcatter communication systems to the US Army.
Under the indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contract, Raytheon will ensure troops have access to secure voice and data communications in contested environments.
Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services president Dave Wajsgras said: “Soldiers on the front lines can’t afford dropped calls. Our solution, a secure, reliable and wireless troposcatter system, allows troops to communicate in areas that would otherwise be dead zones.
“Importantly, it also gives the military a way to communicate in satellite-denied environments.”
Raytheon’s troposcatter technology uses particles that make up the Earth’s atmosphere as a reflector for radio signals, which are aimed above the horizon in the direction of a receiver station.
Some of the energy is scattered back toward the Earth, as the signals pass through the troposphere, allowing the receiver station to pick up the signal. This creates a secure communications network without the need for cellular towers or satellites.
Troposcatter systems are also ideal for crisis response.
Responders facing a lack of reliable communications after a natural disaster can deploy a troposcatter system to quickly establish networks even when no power is available.
Raytheon IIS vice-president Todd Probert said: “Think about any natural disaster over the last several years; one of the biggest problems is a lack of reliable communications.
“A troposcatter system easily can be deployed anywhere in the world and can transfer data at extremely high rates, the equivalent to streaming ten high-definition videos simultaneously at a range of more than 115 miles.”
The troposcatter system units are expected to be delivered to the US Army by the end of this year.
