Army Communications and Information Systems (United Kingdom)
Encyclopedia
The British Army
operates a wide range of communications and information systems. Some of these are specialised military systems, while others are procured off-the-shelf. They fall into three main categories: satellite ground terminals, terrestrial trunk communications systems, and combat net radio systems. Every part of the Army
and the uses combat net radio, but only the Royal Corps of Signals
and the Royal Air Force
operates trunk systems and multi-channel satellite communications.
technology and provides secure speech and secure data. Key elements comprise Fixed Communications Bases, portable Headquarters Terminals and Patrol Terminals.
in Iraq. Talon terminals were brought into service in July 2002 and were incorporated into the Skynet 5 contract in October 2003. Each terminal can be carried in a single vehicle, towing the generator mounted on a trailer.
, Royal Air Force
and Royal Marines
. Reacher Medium is a ruggedised land terminal with a 2.4m antenna designed for X-Band military satellite communications. It is designed to operate with a forward deployed headquarters, and is carried on a Bucher Duro
6x6 vehicle with a detachable cabin and towing a trailer. Reacher Large is mounted on the same vehicle as Reacher Medium, but has a 4.5 m antenna. Reacher All Terrain is in service with the Royal Marines
and is mounted on two BV206 vehicles with associated trailers. All Reacher terminals are transportable using Chinook helicopter
s, C130
aircraft, by sea and by rail. The systems are supplied by Paradigm Secure Communications.
and Bosnia.
in the Falklands War
.
.
s, divisions
and higher military formations. They typically deliver voice and data services, and can be based on boxed or palletized equipment, or vehicle installations (which may be mounted under armour for use on the battlefield).
communications system based on the Plessey System 250
architecture. It was initially designed to meet the needs of the British Army of the Rhine
in West Germany
and replaced the BRUIN
system. The system consists of a network of electronic exchanges known as trunk nodes. These nodes are connected by multichannel UHF and SHF
radio relay links that carry voice, data, telegraph and facsimile communications. The Single Channel Radio Access subsystem is effectively a VHF secure mobile telephone system that gives isolated or mobile users an entry point into the PTARMIGAN network. Ptarmigan has undergone a number of upgrades since it came into service in 1982. These include the introduction of an Air Portable Secondary Access Node for 16 Air Assault Brigade, and the General Purpose Trunk Access Port software enhancement which provides interconnectivity to other nations' tactical communications systems.
Ptarmigan system design was the result of detailed studies and feasibility trials carried out jointly by the UK MoD, The Royal Corps of Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE), the British Army Royal School of Signals and industry. The Plessey Company (subsequently Siemens Plessey Systems and then BAE Systems) was appointed prime contractor and system design authority for Ptarmigan in 1973, with responsibility for engineering development of the complete system.The initial development programme was followed by a series of production contracts worth some £500 million. They covered the provision of the full range of Ptarmigan items from small individual equipments, such as subsets, to major vehicle-mounted installations such as switches and SCRA radio centrals.
A major phased enhancement programme to provide high-integrity packet switched data, including mobile X.25
packet access, international interfacing and the development of equipment for use in armoured vehicles commenced in 1984 and was completed in 1992. BAE Systems was the appointed design authority for supporting the system throughout its post-design phase. This covers the full range of support services from components and equipment up to network level. During the 1991 Operation Granby, Ptarmigan was deployed extensively throughout the operational area with extended satellite trunk links, and was heavily used by British and Allied forces. The system gained further in-service when deployed in support of the International Peace Implementation Force (IFOR
) in Bosnia. Total investment in Ptarmigan by mid-1992 was approaching £1 billion. In August 1993, a £22 million contract was awarded to modify the system to allow deployment over long distances with satellite links.
company. Cormorant has two basic elements:
A Cormorant network can consist of the following installations:
from 1967 to 1982. During the years of the Cold War
Royal Signals units in 1st British Corps trained with BRUIN, and deployed their equipment and vehicles among the woods and farms of northern West Germany
, putting their skills to the test in an annual cycle of command and signal exercises.
. It will deliver secure voice and data over an all Internet Protocol
system across multiple security domains. The system is to be fielded by the Royal Signals and the Royal Air Force
in the 2009-2013 timeframe.
The key platforms will be the Wide Area Switching Provision (WASP) nodes with up to six radio links and a series of Command Post Support (CPS) nodes which will be scaled for headquarters of differing sizes, further supported by transportable (palletised) and early entry nodes. All platforms will utilise the British Army's standard MAN HX 60 Cargo Vehicle (Light) platform..
level upwards. They are operated by soldiers from every part of the Army as well as the specialists
from the Royal Corps of Signals
.
radio, VHF radio and UHF radio sets designed to provide secure integrated voice, data services to dismounted soldiers, individual vehicles and command HQs up to Division level.
in the 1960s and replaced by Clansman in the late 1970s.
from the late 1970s until its replacement by Bowman.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
operates a wide range of communications and information systems. Some of these are specialised military systems, while others are procured off-the-shelf. They fall into three main categories: satellite ground terminals, terrestrial trunk communications systems, and combat net radio systems. Every part of the Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and the uses combat net radio, but only the Royal Corps of Signals
Royal Corps of Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the British Army...
and the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
operates trunk systems and multi-channel satellite communications.
Satellite ground terminals
Satellite ground terminals play an important part in modern military communications, in view of their high bandwidth and their independence of local communications infrastructure.TSC 503
The TSC is a transportable compact multi-role satellite bridging system manufactured by SELEX Communications. It can be deployed in two forms: the first is a rapid deployable terminal with 2MB/s capability that can be on-air in 30 minutes with a two-man crew. The larger full capability terminal, with a 4M antenna, has much increased capacity and a time-into-action of two hours with a four man crew. Users can be located up to 4 km from the antenna and is one of the most prominent satellite. The terminals are composed of a number of man portable containers. TSC 503 entered service in April 2004, and all terminals are now held by 90 Signals Unit, Royal Air Force.PSC 506
PSC 506 terminals operate as an autonomous network that employs Demand Assigned Multiple AccessDemand Assigned Multiple Access
Demand Assigned Multiple Access is a technology used to assign a channel to clients that don't need to use it constantly. DAMA systems assign communication channels based on requests issued from user terminals to a network control system...
technology and provides secure speech and secure data. Key elements comprise Fixed Communications Bases, portable Headquarters Terminals and Patrol Terminals.
TALON
Talon is a lightweight deployable terminal which uses off-the-shelf commercial technology packaged to provide a terminal suitable for military use. The terminal is controlled from a ruggedised laptop and can be set up by a crew of two trained operators within 30 minutes. Talon has been employed by the ARRC (Allied Rapid Reaction Corps) in Germany and was used extensively in Operation TELICOperation Telic
Operation TELIC was the codename under which all British military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the Invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011...
in Iraq. Talon terminals were brought into service in July 2002 and were incorporated into the Skynet 5 contract in October 2003. Each terminal can be carried in a single vehicle, towing the generator mounted on a trailer.
REACHER
Reacher is the most recent satellite communications acquisition and comprises the mobile satellite ground terminals that give military ground forces communications access through Skynet 5 satellites. There are two variants in service with the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
. Reacher Medium is a ruggedised land terminal with a 2.4m antenna designed for X-Band military satellite communications. It is designed to operate with a forward deployed headquarters, and is carried on a Bucher Duro
Mowag Duro
The MOWAG DURO is a tactical military vehicle in both four and six wheel drive. Initially developed for Switzerland by Bucher-Guyer AG in Niederweningen, Switzerland, who started production of all-wheel-drive trucks in 1976. An initial 3,000 vehicles order for the Swiss Armed Forces came through...
6x6 vehicle with a detachable cabin and towing a trailer. Reacher Large is mounted on the same vehicle as Reacher Medium, but has a 4.5 m antenna. Reacher All Terrain is in service with the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
and is mounted on two BV206 vehicles with associated trailers. All Reacher terminals are transportable using Chinook helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s, C130
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
aircraft, by sea and by rail. The systems are supplied by Paradigm Secure Communications.
VSC 501
The VSC 501 was a vehicle mounted tactical military satellite terminal operated by 30th Signal Regiment and the Royal Marines. It operated in the military SHF SATCOM frequency band of 7.25 to 8.4 GHz via a geosynchronous satellite, with a data rate of up to 512 kbits/s. The normal manning level for an VSC 501 station was a crew of two and the system could be set up to provide communications within 15 minutes. The VSC 501 was the workhorse of the UK tactical military SATCOM system for some years. It was carried in both Land Rover (Army) and BV 206 All Terrain Vehicles (Royal Marines). An update package completed in late 1999 extended the life of the terminal for several years. Deployments include the Gulf during Operation GRANBYOperation Granby
Operation Granby was the name given to the British military operations during the Gulf War. 53,462 troops were deployed during the conflict. The total cost of operations was £2.434 billion of which at least £2.049 billion was paid for by other nations such as Kuwait and Saudi Arabia; £200...
and Bosnia.
TSC 502
The TSC 502 was a transportable satellite ground terminal. It was used by 30th Signal Regiment on Operation CORPORATEOperation Corporate
Operation Corporate was the codename given to the 1982 British military involvement in the Falkland Islands during the Falklands War. The commander of task force operations was Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse. Operations lasted from 1 April 1982 to 20 June 1982....
in the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
.
DAGGER
Dagger is a Land Rover-mounted modular military and civil band satellite communications system designed for rapid deployment and installed in a hard top Land Rover 110 TD5. It was supplied by SELEX Communications, and saw service in the Balkans, Afghanistan and on Operation TELICOperation Telic
Operation TELIC was the codename under which all British military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the Invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on 22 May 2011...
.
PSC 504
PSC 504 was an X-band military satellite communications system designed to provide Special Forces with a highly secure, reliable, flexible and rapidly deployable manpack SATCOM system. Manpack patrol terminals fit in the top of a standard Bergen rucksack. The terminals could be assembled and connected to the satellite network within five minutes by one soldier, even in darkness, to provide long-range secure voice, data and messaging services, as well as a store and forward (e-mail-type) facility. Data services operated at up to 64 kbits/s.Terrestrial Trunk Radio Relay
Terrestrial trunk radio relay systems are primarily used to connect the headquarters of brigadeBrigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
s, divisions
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
and higher military formations. They typically deliver voice and data services, and can be based on boxed or palletized equipment, or vehicle installations (which may be mounted under armour for use on the battlefield).
Ptarmigan
Ptarmigan is a mobile, cryptographic digital and modular battlefield wide area networkWide area network
A wide area network is a telecommunication network that covers a broad area . Business and government entities utilize WANs to relay data among employees, clients, buyers, and suppliers from various geographical locations...
communications system based on the Plessey System 250
Plessey System 250
-History:Manufactured by Plessey company plc in the United Kingdom in 1970, it was successfully deployed by the Ministry of Defence for the British Army Ptarmigan project and served in the first Gulf War as a tactical mobile communication network switch....
architecture. It was initially designed to meet the needs of the British Army of the Rhine
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and replaced the BRUIN
Bruin
Bruin or BRUIN may refer to any of the following:* Bruin, the bear in the Reynard cycle fables, whence the word was introduced into English* A bear, especially a Eurasian Brown Bear* Brown University Interactive Language, a programming language...
system. The system consists of a network of electronic exchanges known as trunk nodes. These nodes are connected by multichannel UHF and SHF
SHF
SHF may refer to:* Super high frequency, radio frequencies in the range of 3 GHz and 30 GHz* Société de l'histoire de France, a society formed in 1833 to study French history* Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, a mid-1970s country-rock band....
radio relay links that carry voice, data, telegraph and facsimile communications. The Single Channel Radio Access subsystem is effectively a VHF secure mobile telephone system that gives isolated or mobile users an entry point into the PTARMIGAN network. Ptarmigan has undergone a number of upgrades since it came into service in 1982. These include the introduction of an Air Portable Secondary Access Node for 16 Air Assault Brigade, and the General Purpose Trunk Access Port software enhancement which provides interconnectivity to other nations' tactical communications systems.
Ptarmigan system design was the result of detailed studies and feasibility trials carried out jointly by the UK MoD, The Royal Corps of Signals and Radar Establishment (RSRE), the British Army Royal School of Signals and industry. The Plessey Company (subsequently Siemens Plessey Systems and then BAE Systems) was appointed prime contractor and system design authority for Ptarmigan in 1973, with responsibility for engineering development of the complete system.The initial development programme was followed by a series of production contracts worth some £500 million. They covered the provision of the full range of Ptarmigan items from small individual equipments, such as subsets, to major vehicle-mounted installations such as switches and SCRA radio centrals.
A major phased enhancement programme to provide high-integrity packet switched data, including mobile X.25
X.25
X.25 is an ITU-T standard protocol suite for packet switched wide area network communication. An X.25 WAN consists of packet-switching exchange nodes as the networking hardware, and leased lines, Plain old telephone service connections or ISDN connections as physical links...
packet access, international interfacing and the development of equipment for use in armoured vehicles commenced in 1984 and was completed in 1992. BAE Systems was the appointed design authority for supporting the system throughout its post-design phase. This covers the full range of support services from components and equipment up to network level. During the 1991 Operation Granby, Ptarmigan was deployed extensively throughout the operational area with extended satellite trunk links, and was heavily used by British and Allied forces. The system gained further in-service when deployed in support of the International Peace Implementation Force (IFOR
IFOR
The Implementation Force was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename Operation Joint Endeavour. Its task was to implement the military Annexes of The General Framework Agreement for...
) in Bosnia. Total investment in Ptarmigan by mid-1992 was approaching £1 billion. In August 1993, a £22 million contract was awarded to modify the system to allow deployment over long distances with satellite links.
Cormorant
Cormorant is the area trunk communications network that links the component headquarters of the British Joint Rapid Reaction Force. The system is manufactured by the European EADSEADS
The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V. is a global pan-European aerospace and defence corporation and a leading defence and military contractor worldwide...
company. Cormorant has two basic elements:
- The local access component, based on an ATMAsynchronous Transfer ModeAsynchronous Transfer Mode is a standard switching technique designed to unify telecommunication and computer networks. It uses asynchronous time-division multiplexing, and it encodes data into small, fixed-sized cells. This differs from approaches such as the Internet Protocol or Ethernet that...
switch, provides local digital voice subscriber facilities and a high speed data local area networkLocal area networkA local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
for over twenty headquarters. - The wide area component allows the interconnection of these headquarters across a large geographical area, as well as the means to interconnect with single service and multinational systems. The system is containerised and can be operated in either vehicle mounted or dismounted mode. The underlying technology is based on open standards such as ATMAsynchronous Transfer ModeAsynchronous Transfer Mode is a standard switching technique designed to unify telecommunication and computer networks. It uses asynchronous time-division multiplexing, and it encodes data into small, fixed-sized cells. This differs from approaches such as the Internet Protocol or Ethernet that...
and TCP/IP.
A Cormorant network can consist of the following installations:
- Local area support module
- Core element
- Bearer module
- Long-range bearer module (tropospheric scatterTropospheric scatterTropospheric scatter is a method of transmitting and receiving microwave radio signals over considerable distances – often up to 300 km...
) - Management information systems
- Interoperable gateways
- Tactical fibre-optic cabling
- Short range radio
BRUIN (obsolete)
Introduced in 1967, BRUIN was the Army's first area trunk network mounted in both wheeled and tracked vehicles, which connected formation headquarters and units using multi-channel UHF radios. BRUIN provided a partially secure and automatic system for the transmission of both voice and teleprinter traffic. It was the primary trunk communications system of the British Army of the RhineBritish Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
from 1967 to 1982. During the years of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
Royal Signals units in 1st British Corps trained with BRUIN, and deployed their equipment and vehicles among the woods and farms of northern West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, putting their skills to the test in an annual cycle of command and signal exercises.
FALCON (not yet in service)
FALCON will replace Ptarmigan with a new generation tactical trunk communications system, currently being manufactured by BAE Systems Integrated System TechnologiesBAE Systems Integrated System Technologies
BAE Systems Integrated System Technologies was formed on May 3, 2005, by bringing together BAE Systems' interests in C4ISR and the UK operations of AMS following the Eurosystems Transaction....
. It will deliver secure voice and data over an all Internet Protocol
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
system across multiple security domains. The system is to be fielded by the Royal Signals and the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in the 2009-2013 timeframe.
The key platforms will be the Wide Area Switching Provision (WASP) nodes with up to six radio links and a series of Command Post Support (CPS) nodes which will be scaled for headquarters of differing sizes, further supported by transportable (palletised) and early entry nodes. All platforms will utilise the British Army's standard MAN HX 60 Cargo Vehicle (Light) platform..
Combat Net Radio
Combat net radio systems are typically used for tactical communications at section and platoonPlatoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
level upwards. They are operated by soldiers from every part of the Army as well as the specialists
Royal Signals Trades
The Royal Signals Trades are the employment specialisations of the Royal Corps of Signals in the British Army. Every soldier in the Corps is trained both as a field soldier and a tradesman...
from the Royal Corps of Signals
Royal Corps of Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the British Army...
.
Bowman
Bowman is the name of the tactical communications system used by the British Armed Forces. The Bowman C4I system consists of a range of HFHigh frequency
High frequency radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. Also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decameters . Frequencies immediately below HF are denoted Medium-frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Very high frequency...
radio, VHF radio and UHF radio sets designed to provide secure integrated voice, data services to dismounted soldiers, individual vehicles and command HQs up to Division level.
Larkspur (obsolete)
Larkspur was the combat net radio system used by the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in the 1960s and replaced by Clansman in the late 1970s.
Clansman (obsolescent)
Clansman was the combat net radio system used by the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
from the late 1970s until its replacement by Bowman.