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Boeing Defence Australia has announced a first-of-its-kind prototype of ‘on-the-move’ battlespace communication technology was put to the test at the recent war games in Australia, 18 months ahead of scheduled release.
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Developed as part of Boeing Defence Australia’s (BDA) Project Currawong and integrated into an armoured vehicle, the Headquarters on the Move (HQOTM) capability provides commanders with unprecedented mobile situational awareness, decision-making ability and voice connectivity.
Project Currawong program director Ian Vett said, "Even in the most remote locations, and when travelling at speed, the vehicle can link via satellite to the Australian Defence Force’s secure communications network, giving commanders real-time information on the enemy’s location and the ability to communicate with land-based forces and ADF headquarters from anywhere."
Exercise Talisman Sabre, a bilateral combined Australian and US training activity to improve combat readiness and interoperability between the allied nations, provided the ideal initial testing ground for the capability.
Trialling on exercise enables frontline soldiers to give feedback on operational functionality as well as providing Boeing engineers with access to realistic war-like scenarios to continue to innovate and improve the equipment’s capability.
"HQOTM is not scheduled to be released until late 2020. However, the bi-annual Talisman Sabre field training exercise provided an exceptional opportunity for BDA to demonstrate and test this ground-breaking future capability," Vett added.
The 3rd Combat Signal Regiment, on the ground at Talisman Sabre, tweeted the PMV will provide a step-change in mobile information and communication services to commanders and their staffs across a range of mission sets.
Vett added, "It also helps the customer to get an early and more complete understanding of the Currawong system’s unquestionable capacity to redefine the future of battlespace communication."
In addition to demonstrating the on-the-move capability, Currawong’s Release 1 equipment – comprising a large man-portable, modular core black data network, communication bearers, a mission system manager, and field voice services – was fully deployed at Talisman Sabre to support the two weeks of war games.
Boeing Defence Australia delivered the new network under LAND 2072 Phase 2B, which included the core communication network software and hardware, along with 39 deployable communication nodes to date.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
