The US Department of Defence (DoD) has placed orders with Comtech Telecommunication’s subsidiary Comtech Systems to deliver additional AN/TRC-170 modem upgrade kits for the US Marine Corps (USMC).
Under the $2.7m contract, Comtech Systems will provide kits to help increase the bandwidth of AN/TRC-170 troposcatter terminals from 4MB/sec to 16MB/sec and to enhance the link performance.
The contract also involves integration of Turbo Product Code forward error correction technology for the USMC’s fleet of AN/TRC-170s.
Capable of reducing hostile intercept and interference risk with other communications, the automatic power control fitted into the combat proven modem enables lower power transmission during permissible communication channel conditions.
The AN/TRC-170 terminal’s increased capability will provide an effective alternative communications transmission medium for USMC, while minimising dependence on satellite communications, especially in areas of conflict.
Designed to modernise legacy transportable and tactical troposcatter terminals, the upgrade kit serves as a plug-and-play replacement for older versions of the modem.
Based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment, the upgrade kit also enables easy installation in equipment racks of the AN/TRC-170 troposcatter shelter anywhere in the field.
The US Military legacy troposcatter terminals are backward-compatible with any non-retrofitted AN/TRC-170s, they are also compatible with the AN/TRC-175, (HMDA), the army’s beyond line-of-sight terminals.
Comptech had received a contract in 2006 for a troposcatter upgrade system to improve the performance of 184 AN/TRC-170 systems for the US Air Force (USAF), USMC and US Army; the military has since modernised a further 100 AN/TRC-170’s that are deployed worldwide.
