Military Satellite Communications With Inmarsat – L-TAC

Inmarsat’s L-TAC #

Military Satellite Communications #

L-TAC – Tactical SATCOMS from Military Radios #

Inmarsat’s L-TAC service enables a Tactical UHF Satellite (TACSAT) experience for both military satellite communications and non-military government radio network users, through the combination of Inmarsat’s L-band satellite network, a Slingshot frequency converter and a Spectra portable L-band antenna.

The service can be leased for a fixed period (minimum one month) and provides a complementary service to existing UHF/VHF SATCOM channel availability. The SlingShot applique, combined with Inmarsat’s L-TAC lease service, is fully flexible and designed to meet security and reliability requirements, cost-effectively. Once deployed, remote management and support is provided through a 24/7 network operation centre.

The service offers a combination of reliable voice and data connectivity that is available globally, independently of local infrastructure. It is also quick to set up, providing a fully configured solution, which needs minimal user intervention before deployment.

L-TAC #

Features and Benefits #

Voice and data BLOS
Achieve beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) communications without having to re-equip or re-train. By converting in-service UHF and VHF radios into SATCOM devices, SlingShot delivers BLOS voice and data communications – and extends rangefrom tens to hundreds of thousands of miles.

COTM
SlingShot has Manpack, Vehicle, Maritime and Aviation configurations. The omni-directional antennas mean that communications on-the-move (COTM) is truly effective.Vehicle testing has been successful at speeds in excess of 80mph, with no loss of signal or quality, and maritime speeds of 40 knots, with high-force turns that have been reached with no loss of service.

Radio agnostic and transparent
Converts in-service UHF & VHF radios to L-band SATCOM, enabling interoperability between agencies without any change to in-service equipment or security. The radio operates in exactly the same way as it does in line- of-sight mode, providing a significant range extension. Depending on the satellite option chosen, this could be many thousands of miles within a single satellite footprint or globally, if switched between satellites.

Flexible airtime leasing
Vastly reduce the cost of SATCOM by using L-band commercial SATCOM and only leasing the service in the areas you require, for the time period you require.

Infrastructure independent
With Inmarsat’s I-4 constellation of satellites, it doesn’t matter where in the world you deploy or what distance you need to maintain voice and data communications.

Small size and weight with low power consumption
Real estate on mounted platforms is limited and dismounted personnel face a great challenge if technology reduces the amount of food, water and supplies that can be carried. The SlingShot footprint is minimal and the Manpack system can take power from radio batteries, which means the operator isn’t required to purchase or carry different battery types and support different charging systems.

Complements existing military capacity
Many modern operations include coordination with multiple agencies, some of which will have different radio systems. Slingshot can bring these disparate systems together without additional re-equipping and without a heavy training tariff.

Support UHF and VHF military and commercial frequencies
VHF and UHF radios of different manufacture can use Slingshot to convert to BLOS devices that can communicate with each other. Systems are available for Manpack, Vehicle and Maritime and Aviation, meaning travelling teams can maintain contact.

Hardware and Specs #

Application	UHF Military Band Manpack	UHF Military Band Vehicular/Maritime	VHF Military Band Manpack	VHF Military Band Vehicular/Maritime	VHF Commercial Band Manpack	VHF Com-Band Vehicular/Maritime
Short Title	UHF-M-M	UHF-M-VMT	VHF-M-M	VHF-M-VMT	VHF-C-M	VHF-C-VMT
Spectra Part Number	SG-SS-1002	SG-SS-1001	SG-SS-1004	SG-SS-1003	SG-SS-1006	SG-SS-1005
Input Frequency Band	240-311MHZ	240-311MHZ	58-88MHZ	58-88MHZ	144-174MHZ	144-174MHZ
Size (mm)	170 x 75 x 30	170 x 87 x 30	204 x 75 x 30	204 x 87 x 30	170 x 75 x 30	170 x 87 x 30
Weight (g)	507	489	605	550	507	489
Color	Matt Black	Matt Black	NATO Green	NATO Green	Matt Grey	Matt Grey
RF Power Input Required	2 – 4 Watts	2 – 4 Watts	3 – 10 Watts	3 – 10 Watts	3 – 10 Watts	3 – 10 Watts

Antenna	L-band Vehicular Antenna	L-band Maritime Antenna	L-band Manpack Antenna	L-band Aviation Antenna
Short Title	Ae-V	Ae-MT	Ae-M	Ae-A
Spectra Part Number	SG-SS-2001A	SG-SS-2002	SG-SS-2003	SG-SS-2004
Size (mm)	146 x 72	150 x 142	76 x 153	111 x 143 x 38
Weight (g)	667	705	305	385
Approvals	FCC Part15 Canada 310 DTM:Inmarsat 1401	FCC Part15 Canada 310 DTM:Inmarsat 1401	FCC Part15 N/A DTM:Inmarsat 1401	TSO-C132 in progress DTM:D0-160D RTCA:D0-210D
Color	Khaki	Grey	Khaki	White
Connectors	RF-SMA	RF-SMA	RF-BNC	RF-TNC
Standard Mounts	Mag-Mount Base	Pole-Mount Bracket	Screw Mount	ARINC-743 footprint
Optional Mounts	Antenna Mount Clamp Set	Antenna Mount Clamp Set	Antenna Mount Clamp Set Elevated Pole Set Extendable System	N/A

Battery	PSU Vehicle/Maritime	Battery Cop 2590 & 5590	Battery Cop MBITR & 152	Ops Room Main cvtr.
Short Title	PSU-VMT	BC-2590/5590	BC-MBITR/152	PSM-AC
Spectra Part Number	SG-SS-3001	SG-SS-3009-0.5 SG-SS-3009-1	SG-SS-30010-0.5 SG-SS-30010-1	SG-SS-3004
Input Power	12 – 24 V DC	Standard 5590/2590 Battery Interface	Standard MBITR/152 Battery Interface	100 – 240V AC
Size (mm)	140 x 91 x 58	119 x 70 x 33	67 x 93 x 53	139 x 53 x 32
Weight (g)	509	325	183	247
Color	Black	Black	Black	Black
Ingress Protection	IP67	IP55 (when connected)	IP67 (when connected)	IP41 (indoor only)