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SlingShot in Defence and Security

Spectra SlingShot is a lightweight unit that converts existing tactical radios to SATCOM, offering a straightforward and cost-effective way to achieve tactical, secure, communications for those using UHF and VHF radios

Why You Need Spectra SlingShot

You need to exercise command and control of widely dispersed forces in austere environments without the delay of deploying terrestrial infrastructures, or the operational burden of protecting and sustaining them.

UHF TACSAT channels are in short-supply and expensive.

Applications

SlingShot is a unique and innovative solution that enables widely dispersed personnel to communicate effectively in high tempo operations.

Features

SlingShot is a small and lightweight unit that converts existing radios to secure, real-time, BLOS, COTM devices, in all situations and locations.

  • SlingShot Manpack System VHF Applique

Benefits

SlingShot delivers all the benefits of TacSat at a greatly reduced cost and without the limitations on user numbers.

As a result of internal troubles a Non-combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) has been planned and is about to be executed using troops from the EU.

The force has a number of SlingShot systems and an active satellite Inmarsat lease provided by Spectra.

An early entry force is deployed by air and, using the SlingShot aviation system, continues to carry out mission planning, using their secure UHF tactical handsets.

Concurrently, a naval detachment has taken an offshore position and is able to join the operational net, and communicate with the early entry force.

Both teams are using tactical radios and, despite being thousands of miles apart, have secure voice and data capability.

On landing, ground troops, using VHF radios, equipped with SlingShot, disembark and move to the objective to begin the evacuation.

During this phase they are still connected to both the air and naval platforms using the same radios.

In addition the National HQ in the home base has connected to the tactical network and is maintaining a listening watch.

Following a successful extraction the non-combatants are escorted to the waiting naval ship and the ground troops return to the airhead and depart.

Throughout the operation all elements have maintained secure BLOS voice and data communications on tactical UHF & VHF radios.

This has been made possible due to the interoperability of the SlingShot system and the provision of a bespoke multi-headed satellite beam covering the whole area of interest.

  • Voice and Data BLOS and COTM

    tactical comms over land, sea, and air

  • Radio agnostic and transparent

    Converts UHF & VHF radios to L-Band Satcom

  • Flexible airtime leasing

    only when and where you need it

  • Infrastructure independent

    no infrastructure? no problem

  • Small size & weight with low power consumption

    ideal for tactical, high tempo, operations

  • Dedicated bandwidth

    Guaranteed bandwidth for high quality sound and data

  • Achieve BLOS comms without re-equipping or using expensive, hard-to-come-by, TacSat channels

  • Use current radios with full crypto for BLOS. Enables interoperability between forces using differing comms.

  • Vastly reduce the cost of TacSat by using L-Band commercial satcom and only leasing the theatres you require, for the time you need them

  • Because SlingShot uses Inmarsat’s I4 constellation of satellites, it doesn’t matter where in the world you deploy, or what distance you need to maintain voice and data comms; you will not have to rely on local infrastructure, or deploy and protect your own.

By converting tactical UHF and VHF radios into satcom devices, SlingShot delivers BLOS Beyond Line of Sight Command and Control Communications.

Range is extended from tens to hundreds and thousands of miles, without further re-equipping or training.

SlingShot has Manpack, Vehicle, Maritime and Aviation configurations.

The omni-directional antennas mean that COTM (Communications on the Move) is truly effective with no loss of signal or quality.

No need to alter direction or stop to locate a beam, or stand or kneel and expose yourself.

UHF TacSat is a limited resource, only available to a small number of high priority radio users. As such it attracts a premium price.

It is also limited in its ability to provide reliable and high quality communications on the move (COTM).

Spectra Group worked with Inmarsat to develop SlingShot as a complementary service offering that provides a global solution for those forces that can’t get access to UHF TacSat.

SlingShot is a simple concept in that it provides BLOS and COTM capability to existing tactical radios without any change to in-service equipment or security.

The radio operates in exactly the same way as it does in line of sight or UHF TacSat mode, providing a significant range extension to line of sight.

Depending on the satellite option chosen this could be many thousands of miles within a single satellite footprint or globally if switched between satellites.

Real estate on mounted platforms is limited and dismounted troops face a real challenge if technology reduces the amount of ammunition, food and water that can be carried. The SlingShot footprint is minimal and the manpack system can take power from in-service batteries, so the operator isn’t required to purchase/carry different battery types and support different charging systems.

A full manpack system weighs under 2kg, with operational life of up to 24 hours between charges

Designed with the soldier in mind, Slingshot uses existing in-service tactical radios to provide BLOS.

Inmarsat’s L-TAC service complements existing UHF channel availability. The service can be leased for a fixed period (minimum duration one month), providing assured access throughout.

Slingshot, combined with Inmarsat’s L-TAC lease service, is fully flexible and designed to meet security and reliability requirements, cost effectively.

Slingshot over Inmarsat’s L-TAC service benefits from dedicated bandwidth for guaranteed quality and minimal latency.

Because the L-TAC system switches on the satellite, communications are effectively point-to-point, without any delay introduced by landing at a Satellite Ground Station.

So many operations, in which today’s military find themselves, include co-ordination with multiple agencies, some of which will have different radio systems.

Slingshot can bring these disparate systems together without additional re-equipping and without a heavy training tariff.

VHF and UHF radios of different manufacture can use Slingshot to convert to BLOS TacSat devices that can communicate with each other. As long as the Cryptos are shared, security is also maintained.

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