Bittium to supply tactical radios to pilot phase of Spanish VCR 8x8 vehicle programme.

Bittium will supply its tactical Bittium Tough SDR Vehicular radios together with the ESSOR High Data Rate Waveform (ESSOR HDR WF) to the pilot vehicles of the Spanish Army’s VCR 8x8 vehicle programme (Vehículo de Combate sobre Ruedas). In the scope of the VCR 8x8 programme the Spanish Army will acquire new combat vehicles and related data transfer systems to replace their current, long-lived combat vehicles.

Bittium will supply its tactical Bittium Tough SDR Vehicular radios together with the ESSOR High Data Rate Waveform (ESSOR HDR WF) to the pilot vehicles of the Spanish Army’s VCR 8x8 vehicle programme (Vehículo de Combate sobre Ruedas) (Picture source: Bittium)

Bittium Tough SDR Vehicular radios will be delivered to the temporary joint venture UTE 8x8 (Unión Temporal de Empresas) formed by the Spanish companies GDELS Santa Bárbara Sistemas, Indra and SAPA. After the pilot phase, the programme will continue with another phase during which a separate procurement decision will be made for the supply of vehicular radios to the combat vehicles that will be deployed by the Spanish Army. Participation in the pilot phase of the programme does not automatically guarantee participation in the following phase of the programme.

Bittium’s vehicular radios will be delivered as part of the tactical communications system of the pilot vehicles to demonstrate the capabilities and performance of the system. The tactical communications system of the VCR 8x8 vehicles will create a top-quality tactical network for the needs of the combat command and control.

“The Spanish Army’s VCR 8x8 vehicle programme is the first foreign customer for the Bittium Tough SDR Vehicular radio and therefore an important milestone in Bittium’s internationalization efforts and in selling the new tactical Bittium Tough SDR radios abroad. The new radios will also include the ESSOR HDR Waveform, which will significantly improve the performance of the combat troops”, says Mr. Jari Sankala, Senior Vice President of Defense & Security at Bittium.

Bittium Tough SDR Vehicular radio belongs to the Bittium Tough SDR product family together with the Bittium Tough SDR Handheld™ radio. The radios enable producing and sharing real time situational awareness (location, image, voice, video, and sensor data) to all levels of the organization. This improves the performance and the effectiveness of the tactical troops and makes leading them easier based on the up-to-date situational awareness and more reliable connections.

The two-channel Bittium Tough SDR Vehicular radio can flexibly use the best performing waveform considering the conditions and the mission, such as the Bittium TAC WIN Waveform™, ESSOR HDR Waveform and Bittium Narrowband Waveform™. The uniquely wide range of frequency bands in the radio improves combat survivability. Using several waveforms, even simultaneously, improves compatibility and enables operations on different levels and missions. Bittium Tough SDR Vehicular can also be installed with an LTE module in which case the radio can be used for creating a connection to commercial LTE networks.