Wireless technology advances continue to push the boundaries of data-throughput speeds over ever-greater distances. Recently completed tests of TeleCommunication Systems’ Tactical Transportable Troposcatter (3T) system proved this point: The Army-supported test, led by TCS and Comtech, established and maintained a 50-Mb/s troposcatter communication link in excess of 100 miles at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
The system, otherwise known as AN/TSC-198 (V3), provides high-bandwidth, low-latency, non-satellite, beyond-line-of-sight network transport for existing (and future) bandwidth intensive C5IR platforms. It combines the battle-tested SNAP Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) system with Comtech’s IP-capable troposcatter technology. The Modular Transportable Troposcatter System (MTTS) has a much smaller form factor than previous systems, and is backward-compatible with legacy troposcatter solutions.
Specifically designed for long-haul, over-the-horizon communication or where line-of-sight is obstructed, the 3T provides secure IP connectivity to command and control centers. Its quad diversity combines space and frequency or space and polarization diversities. C-Band frequencies and a SNAP 2.0 M antenna help optimize communications. Its position in the troposphere allows warfighters to communicate in conditions that would otherwise be near-impossible for other systems.