Military Technology 9/2019

Tactical Communications MT 9/2019 · 21 the waveform,” a spokesperson commented. Although not a NATO mem- ber, Finland does participate in the alliance’s Partnership for Peace and provides forces to the European Union’s battlegroups, underscoring the need for multinational communications. It will be interesting to see whether Norway or Sweden follow Finland’s lead joining the ESSOR project in the near future, thus enhancing pan-Nordic tactical connectivity. The company stated that it should finish upgrading these radios with the ESSOR wave- form by the end of 2019. ESSOR OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Arme- ment/Joint Armament Cooperation Organisation), which manages pan-European defence programmes, is at the helm of the ESSOR effort. Like all elegant ideas, the rationale behind ESSOR is simple; to develop a high data-rate (HDR) waveform capable of equipping the plethora of tactical radios used by participating nations’ armies: those of Finland, France, Italy, Poland and Spain. Each nation is also participating industrially. with Bittium, Thales, Leonardo, Radmor and Indra members of the a4-ESSOR (Alliance for ESSOR) partnership. The initiative commenced in 2009, with OCCAR awarding a formal contract to a4-ESSOR in 2015. With the HDR realised, a further contract was awarded later that year to realise ESSOR Operational Capability-1 (OC1), focusing on the waveform’s robustness, while also drafting a framework for its lifecycle management. Worth $57 million, OC1 is expected to conclude by the end of 2020. ESSOR has a roster of tactical radios that it will equip in future. These include the new Thales CONTACT transceivers being development for the French armed forces, which are expected to enter service early next decade. Joining thesm is Leonardo’s SWave tactical radio family for the Italian Army. Poland and Spain are also expected to port ESSOR into their tactical radios in the near term, while in 2018 sources close to the German Army’s tactical communications efforts informed MT that Germany is likely to join the programme with Rohde and Schwarz expected to play a major role. Regarding ESSOR’s current status, interoperability tests involving the waveform and several radios have demonstrated that the waveform can be used by disparate transceivers. Since 2015, a4-ESSOR has worked closely with member nations’ armies to factor their emerging requirements into the waveform architecture. At the core of this is ESSOR’s ability to exploit available local wavebands and to function in a contested or con- gested electromagnetic environment. Germany At the core of the German Army’s modernisation of its tactical com- munications are the MOTIV and MOTAKO communications and battle management initiatives. Both Rheinmetall and Rohde & Schwarz are de- veloping MOTAKO, which will roll out IP-based networks to the force’s Dr Thomas Withington is a writer and analyst specialising in military communications, electronic warfare and radar. The SVFUA, pictured here on the left, is equipping the German Army’s armoured vehicle fleet. It will be the conduit across which MOTAKO and MOTIV is carried. (Photo: Rohde & Schwarz)