New Communications for Afghan Army Link Disparate Systems

Calling NMCC…(click to view full) In Afghanistan, most Afghan National Army (ANA) units use either VHF radios that have a maximum range of 40 kilometers or standard cell phones to contact each other. At present, messages are sometimes relayed from operator to operator until they reach their destination, with obvious time and accuracy problems. Tactical communications are critical in a guerilla war, so how does one solve this problem in an environment like Afghanistan? It’s a problem that isn’t confined to Afghanistan – indeed, it’s present in many US cities among first responders. So what did they do in Afghanistan? Enter Raytheon JPS’ Advanced Control Unit-Tactical, or ACU-T. As DefenseLINK notes, ACU-T is designed to serve as a bridge and allow communications between ANA units with incompatible radio systems. Using this new system, VHF, HF, cellular and landline phones and radios can all communicate with each other. Employing technology derived from the ACU-1000, the lightweight, tactical ACU-T is suitable for LMR, P25, TETRA, HF Radio, trunking systems, Nextel, telephones and SATCOM systems. How does it work? Imagine that an ACU-T operator in a regional command center receives a call from an ANA unit or base using a VHF radio. They’re […]