HF Solutions for JP9101 EDHFCS

Rohde & Schwarz is collaborating with Babcock in the upgrade of Australian strategic military communications under the JP9101 Enhanced Defence HF Communications System (EDHFCS) programme recently awarded to the latter.

Rohde & Schwarz will supply its latest technology high-power, liquid-cooled HF transmitters and software defined radios (SDR) to the programme, which will provide Australian and allied armed forces with secure voice and data communications from almost any location across the globe. “It is no secret that Rohde & Schwarz [has] a longstanding history in HF communications and our self-sufficient liquid-cooled technology is backed by decades of experience in the transmitter business,” commented Gareth Evans, Managing Director Rohde & Schwarz Australia. “The revolutionary, state-of-the-art technology developed by Rohde & Schwarz is the market benchmark and more than matches the Commonwealth requirement for advanced long-range BLOS communications with very high data rates and maximum reliability”.

The SK4110 HF high-power transmitters achieve longer service life and lower failure rates by minimising thermal load on all components, courtesy of the self-sufficient liquid cooling system, which the company has proven over 25 years in its range of TV broadcast transmitters. Offering a sustainable carbon footprint while delivering up to 50% energy cost-savings, the new transmitters feature critical module redundancy, i.e. uninterruptable transmission and operation in the event of power supply failure or HF output stage failure.

“The new system will provide the Australian Defence Force and its allies with an enhanced communications capability with levels of reliability and operational resilience not seen before within this technology domain,” added Babcock’s Managing Director Mission and Support Systems, Brad Yelland.