Following extensive risk reduction efforts, Product Manager Network Modernization, under Project Manager Command and Control (C2) Transport, recently completed a successful month-long Troposcatter Transmission–Medium [TROPO-M(B)] user engagement -supported by Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) and the 62nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion-Enhanced (ESB-E), 11th Corps Signal Brigade, at Fort Hood, Texas. Data and Soldier feedback from the engagement will inform Army procurement decisions, helping to diversify the supply chain and strengthen the industrial base.
The Army’s TROPO capability uses tropospheric scattering—bouncing radio signals off the atmosphere—to provide beyond-line-of-sight communications without relying on expensive or limited satellite resources. Modern enhancements like auto-link alignment, intuitive web interfaces, and compact transit cases make this 21st-century troposcatter system faster to deploy and easier to use, fitting in a single tactical vehicle. This technology, by operating below space, ensures reliable high throughput and low latency communications even when other systems are denied or degraded.
During the user engagement, Soldiers evaluated the TROPO-M(B) in denied, disrupted, intermittent, and limited bandwidth (DDIL) environments, demonstrating high throughput and long-distance requirements. Soldiers also demonstrated successful integration with Army baseband solutions and, to simulate real-world threats, connected a wireless LTE router to the TROPO-M link to deliver high-data-rate communications to isolated locations, even when SATCOM and LTE were unavailable. Additionally, the event validated new Interoperability Kits, ensuring TROPO-M(B) can communicate with the current TROPO-M(A) solution.
[U.S. Army photos by Thomas E Mort, ATEC; and MAJ Giancarlo Rindone, PM C2 Transport, CPE C2IN]
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