Thales unveils the new HF XL range of tactical high-frequency wideband radios at Eurosatory 2024. The family of radios includes vehicle, manpack, and command post variants. (Janes/Olivia Savage)
Thales debuted its new range of high-frequency broadband communication (HF XL) radios at the Eurosatory 2024 defence exhibition held in Paris from 17 to 21 June.
Operating over broadband, the wideband radios offer a 10-fold increase in bandwidth while still enabling long-range communications in contested environments, the company said.
This is enabled through a cognitive engine that automatically scans and selects the optimum frequency. Up to 16 channels are available, with jammed frequencies automatically avoided and replaced with available ones, ensuring resilience and ease of use, Franck Chatain, senior product line manager for HF radios and terminals, informed Janes at Eurosatory 2024.
Four different offerings of the radio will ultimately be available, and these include a vehicle and manpack variant, as well as two command post solutions.
The command post variants, available in 1 kW and 400 W, are in production. By the end of 2024, the 125 W vehicular radio will be available, while the 20 W manpack variant will be in production by the end of 2025, Chatain added.
The radio can support data rates of up to 150 kbyte/s, with voice, data, and low-resolution video able to be transmitted. To enable integration with other radios, such as those from L3Harris Technologies, an external module can be added, he said.
Militaries, including the French Armed Forces, have begun trialling the radios after two years of tests, he added.
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