Domo Tactical Communications (DTC) has developed a new waveform called the MeshUltra wireless tactical IP mesh waveform, which it showcased at DSEI 2019 in London in September with an eye on addressing dismounted soldier communications.
DTC product director Rob Garth told Jane’s that UltraMesh, which had been tested extensively, is designed for mobile ad hoc networking (MANET) and military robotic applications and brings together several new mesh features.
The Domo Tactical Communications SOL8SDR-C MiMo mesh radio module can host the new MeshUltra waveform and is claimed to be the world’s smallest MiMo mesh radio. (Giles Ebbutt)
For example, the number of mesh nodes has been increased from 20 to a minimum of 64. However, he said that the number of supported mesh nodes was increasing and was confident that DTC could meet the requirement for 120 nodes that the British Army was looking for in its Dismounted Situational Awareness programme.
The available data rates is being increased, with a 20 MHz bandwidth mesh node available that provides a throughput of up to 87 Mbps. Garth said an important development was the availability of different operating bandwidths, ranging from 1.25 MHz up to the full 20 MHz, adding that the narrower bandwidths offer greater sensitivity and range for applications that do not require high data rates.
Garth also noted that there had recently been increased interest in mesh networking for dismounted soldier application, pointing out that this mainly required the passing of situational awareness information rather than video and that the narrower channels were ideally suited for this. This reduces power consumption and therefore lowers the probability of detection, intercept and exploitation (LPD/LPI/LPE). It also provides longer battery life, lower weight, and less heat, he added.
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