쿠키님이 관심있어하실 기사입니다. 역시 Janes.com에서 퍼왔고... 맨 마지막 부분에 관심이 있으실 것 같군요. 사진은 기사에 첨부된 LandWarrior용 헬멧 컨샙인데 이스라엘 elbit의 제품같습니다. http://www2.janes.com/janesdata/mags/jdw/history/jdw2005/images/p1116769.jpg --- Date Posted: 26-Oct-2005 JANE'S DEFENCE WEEKLY - NOVEMBER 02, 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US military to receive tactical C4ISR network SCOTT GOURLEY JDW Correspondent California The fielding of the new tactical network and surveillance suite could have broad implications for other soldier system programmes The network uses an IP address-based technology for communications and location information Selected US military intelligence operational elements will begin receiving by the end of 2005 a new tactical network and surveillance suite. The new system utilises wireless mesh network technology to expand data communications and situational awareness to warfighters in the field. The fielding could have broad implications for other soldier system programmes such as the US Land Warrior or UK Bowman digital communications system. Called Tacti-Net, the new ensemble was developed by Inter-4: a wholly owned division of Sierra Nevada Corporation. "Our whole game plan was to develop a line of hand-held computers and electro-optics, all focusing on, essentially, the individual soldier," said Ralph Osterhout, former chief executive officer of Inter-4. "So we looked at how we could give the individual soldier the ability to have seamless voice, video, situational awareness, text, chat - the works. In other words, how could he be a fully integrated system that would allow seamless positional data that he could share with other combatants in real time?" Osterhout said the company leveraged its strengths in personal digital assistant design as well as the recently awarded manufacturing contract for the 'Simple Key Loader': a hand-held device for downloading crypto keys into joint service electronic warfare and communications equipment. "Our whole focus has been on the last tactical mile," he said. "We are not trying to compete with FBCB2 [Force XXI Battle Command, Brigade-and-Below] or anything else. It's all about how we can deliver broadband to the soldier." Soldier-worn elements of Tacti-Net include a Tacticomp 1.5 wireless and GPS-enabled hand-held computer, Tactisight helmet-mounted display and combat controller. The Tactisight inc- ludes a CMOS camera and LCD display that allows warfighters to transmit what they see, know where they are and monitor the locations of others in their unit. The subsystem clips into the standard helmet night-vision mount and is equipped with an identical mounting to allow the soldier to place a night-vision monocular over his/her other eye. The combat controller connects the computer to the helmet-mounted display, allowing one-handed control of the cursor and all computer functions. Non-worn supporting network elements include: a virtual access point backbone; video converter module (NTSC to MPEG-4); vehicle-based Tacticomp 6 computer; both directional and omnidirectional micro mesh routers; and optional elements like a small robot developed to provide remote video surveillance. According to Osterhout, the company examined a range of commercially available communications, computer, and electro-optical technologies before selecting the current design package, which he described as "RF-agnostic". "We can pick any technology for transmission that we choose to be the best for a given application," he said. "So, for example, we could run mesh technologies. We could interface with EPLRS [Enhanced Position Location Reporting System]. We could interface with JTRS [Joint Tactical Radio System] when it's available. It doesn't really matter." Noting that the current waveform design utilises ITT mesh cards, he added: "We have a strategic teaming agreement with ITT and we're using mesh cards here in a classified frequency that has really given extraordinary performance so far." The network uses an IP address-based technology for commun- ications and location information. During discussions at the recent Association of the United States Army annual meeting in Washington, DC, Osterhout described recent field demonstrations providing 9.6 km line-of-sight range between Tacticomp 1.5 hand-helds and 20 km and 50 km respectively for the omnidirectional and directional antennas. "We're able to stream video at over 10 frames per second with simultaneous VoIP [voice-over-internet protocol] at 30 miles," he said. "Right now there are units fielded with Army G2 and it's currently being fielded by ASPO [Army Space Program Office]," he said. "Inside this Q4 [4th quarter calendar year 2005] it will be in the field with the Rangers, other elements of the special operations community and the intel community, and I can't go any farther than that." "Let me tell you what is beautiful about mesh that is so magic," Osterhout continued. "I don't need any network. I don't need anything at all except Tacticomp. I take a hand-held, I turn it on, you turn yours on, and we've got a network. "Somebody else turns theirs on and they automatically appear on our screens. We don't have to do a thing. Now if another platoon infiltrates into an area to support an operation, the second they come in range they appear on your units. You know exactly where the other blue forces are instantly. You don't have to do a thing. "This was really hammered out at Camp Roberts [California], Fort Huachuca [Arizona], in actual field trials down there, refining how to use the mesh network in the computers," he added. Pointing to the video converter module, Osterhout said: "This converts any NTSC camera automatically to high-quality MPEG-4, 30 frames per second, 16-bit colour. So a soldier in a Humvee can take live feeds from 17 different kinds of UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], the output of which is NTSC, plug it into this box, where it is converted to high-quality MPEG-4 with very fast DSPs [Digital Signal Processing] and feed out 30 frames per second, full colour, to everybody in the mesh [via Tacticomp 6]. So now you're able to look from UAVs, flying overhead, seeing the bad guys in real time. In relation to L-band he said: "Land Warrior's approach was to try to put an L-band on every leader. No, no, no. Almost every Humvee has got L-band in it anyway. So guess what, you've got L-band that plugs right into the T6 [Tacticomp 6] and now I communicate with the [Virtual Access Point] backbone, communicate with the T6 and send my positional data right out over FBCB2 just like normal. "So this is a parallel broadband network that does not interfere with FBCB2. It does not put unclassified data into the SIPRNET [Secret IP Router Network]. It does not interfere with anything the military has got. It just gives you a broadband, secure, 25-bit encrypted network out on the battlefield right now." There are obvious comparisons between Tacti-Net and the Army's Land Warrior programme. However, Osterhout said: "I will only tell you what Land Warrior is and what it costs and you can make your own decisions. >> 여기부터 아마도..^^;;;;; "Land Warrior has six modules. You have a switching module, a CPU module, a navigation module, two separate battery modules and a helmet-mounted display. They are all connected by six cables. Now multiply six times two connectors, so you have 12 connectors, six cables, six modules at a weight of 18.6 kg and a cost of USD40,000. "Let me make Tacticomp simple. Here is a helmet mounted display, a combat controller, with one cable in between them and the system is integrated in1.6 kg pounds at a cost of USD8,000 in quantity. You have situational awareness, you can send and receive video, you have VoIP, text chat, a JVMF [joint variable message format] map parser, which means you can send positional data to FBCB2, and you have 2525B military symbology so you can do situation reports, calls for fire, the works. "So what we've really tried to do here is create a dismounted network as well as a mounted network that is seamless, simple and reliable," he concluded. The Tactisight helmet-mounted display.The mount retains the ability to add an AN/PVS-14 night-vision monocular over the other eye