Transceiver Completes Capability Demonstration for Rotary Wing Aircraft

BAE Systems has successfully completed a capability demonstration of its FireNet software-defined communication transceiver to address channel capacity and waveform requirements for rotary-wing aircraft. 

The demonstration displayed the FireNet system’s additional channel capabilities for rotary-wing aircraft – providing the armed forces with a unified tactical network and enabling Joint All Domain Operations (JADO).

“Military operations will increasingly occur in network-centric environments that demand greater bandwidth and network diversity to manage the immense amount of information at hand,” said Alan Dewar, director of Integrated Communication Solutions at BAE Systems. 

“Our FireNet system delivers large volumes of accurate, reliable information exchanged in real-time, allowing warfighters to maintain situational awareness and stay connected.”

The FireNet system is designed to address the U.S. Army Aviation Branch’s channel capacity and waveform needs with low cost, size, weight, and power demands. The system’s additional narrow-band, wide-band, and Link-16 capabilities provide rotary-wing aircraft with a unified tactical network that’s Crypto Modernization ready. Allied and coalition defense operators using Link 16 military tactical data link terminals are required to update those terminals to a new cryptographic subsystem by 2022.

Designed for current and future fleets, this modular open-system architecture solution also enables additional line-of-sight voice, data, and network communications from very high frequency to S-Band. 

The FireNet system maximizes flexibility with a small, standardized footprint, minimizing integration effort for existing aircraft. It augments existing radio installations with a concurrent four-channel capability in a two-channel configuration.

Work on the FireNet system will take place at BAE System’s Fort Wayne, Ind. site.