BY JAMES CARELESS

Situational Awareness (SA) is top priority on any battlefield. SA is at the heart of sound command decisions, while its absence can result in weak choices.

Here’s the problem: Many Battlefield Management Systems (BMS) that provide SA rely on a mix of HF radio networks and LTE cellular networks to move signals from place to place. Both kinds of networks are vulnerable to distribution issues due to Beyond the Horizon signal pathways, ‘dead spots’ due to atmospheric conditions, infrastructure and terrain obstacles, and/or too few cellular towers to adequately serve the desired coverage area.

Fortunately, NORTAC Defence, a 2023 CDR Top Canadian Defence Company, is here to help. This Ottawa-based company’s sLow Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellite networks to provide battlefi eld commanders with consistent Command and Control (C2) and SA capabilities, no matter where on the planet they may be. Once the solution’s TITAN BY NORTAC platform has its satellite connection locked on, it integrates all communications links and data sources currently being used by the military client into a secure, unified system, complete with an easy-to-use computer interface.

“With this platform, we are able to integrate data from lots of different tactical capabilities, whether that’s satellite, short burst data, LTE networks, HF radios, mesh network radios, and increasingly video from drones,” said Tim Grant, NORTAC Defence’s founder. “We basically take all the information that’s coming in by voice, video, and data and send it everywhere it needs to be.”

INSPIRED BY RESULTS

The TITAN BY NORTAC solution was inspired by communications advances made by the U.S. Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom, when satellite digital communications was combined with traditional radio based military communications to deliver impressive SA results. However, this wasn’t enough for the global marketplace: To be commercially viable, such a BMS needed to be sold without restrictions such as ITAR (International Trade in Arms Regulations).

Devising a solution that hit all these marks is why NORTAC Defence was founded in 2010. It is also why TITAN BY NORTAC was soon rated “as the best-in-class available solution due to a combination of product attributes and cost” in a 2021 Frost & Sullivan Report.

AFFORDABILITY IS KEY

Signal reliability is fundamental to any good BMS. But so too is the price: If military clients can’t afford to buy the system they need, then it doesn’t matter how well it performs. “So, we can’t be talking hundreds of millions of dollars for a BMS,” Grant told CDR. “It has to be within their price range to be a realistic option.” Hitting these two targets is why NORTAC Defence uses proven Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products for its TITAN BY NORTAC solution. Using COTS allows the company to manufacture communications solutions that cost less than bespoke custom systems. COTS also protects customers from being tied to a single manufacturer’s hardware, whose fate lies entirely in that manufacturer’s hands.

“With COTS equipment, we can provide that affordability,” said Grant. “We can also deliver the performance and reliability they need through the TITAN BY NORTAC platform.”

THE TITAN PORTFOLIO

The TITAN BY NORTAC solution consists of many key elements. Collectively, they enhance the warfighter’s ability to know what is happening in their battlespace, and to coordinate their efforts in order to achieve the most desirable outcomes in all situations.

The TITAN BY NORTAC platform enables voice, video and data to flow backwards and forwards between the command HQ and the tactical levels. It also allows this content to move laterally between fi eld units, by providing tactical level communications using secure, cost effective, SBD (short burst data) satellite channels. This platform also provides users with a secure web-based application for access anywhere.

NORTAC Defence also offers in-premise TITAN BY NORTAC solutions to be installed behind client firewalls. These solutions can support asset and personnel tracking capability for enhanced SA, C2, and emergency response, plus the ability to provide comprehensive post-operational debriefings.

NORTAC TACTICAL Awareness Capability (NTAC) is a remote component of the TITAN BY NORTAC solution for use on tablets and laptops at a Forward Operating Base or in vehicles, boats or helicopters. NTAC uses satellite communications and SBD to ensure continuous secure global operations for mobile forces, with no need for internet connectivity. Countries using Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) geospatial infrastructure and military situation awareness app on their smartphones can also connect to the TITAN BY NORTAC platform. NORTAC Defence produces robust handheld communications devices for soldiers, such as the NORTAC WAVE. This device is purpose-built to support alerting, communications with HQ and other assets, fi nding the nearest responder contacts, and position reporting. It can also provide two-way chat messaging between the device and the TITAN NORTAC platform, the device to an asset group, and from one device to another.

That’s not all: The NORTAC WAVE provides free texting, emergency alerting, predefi ned canned messages and group messaging. As well, it can display SA information directly to the warfighter. Subscribers to this NORTAC Defence service can see up to 50 assets and their status in a grid or list view.

Finally, the NORTAC ORION app can turn Android and iOS smartphones into battlefield devices capable of emergency alerting, encrypted messaging, and tracking. These app-equipped smartphones can also send position reports at defined intervals to the TITAN BY NORTAC platform, enabling a military client to know the users’ locations and safety status in near-real time. Connections between NORTAC ORION app-enabled smartphones and the TITAN BY NORTAC platform can be made through Wi-Fi or cellular communication networks.

“With capabilities such as these and many more, it is not surprising that the TITAN BY NORTAC solution is receiving considerable interest among military clients worldwide,” concluded Tim Grant. “There is considerable demand from countries across the Middle and Far East, Africa, and anywhere else where there are wide open spaces, long borders, deserts, mountains, jungles, and extensive coastlines. Traditional BMS is very challenging in those environments, which is where TITAN BY NORTAC and SBD can make all the difference”

James Careless is CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief