Bittium continues ESSOR wafeform porting to Finnish Defence Force SDR Radios.

Bittium has received a purchase order from the Finnish Defence Forces to continue porting the European ESSOR (European Secure SOftware-defined Radio) program’s OC1 (Operational Capability 1) wideband waveform to the Bittium Tough SDR radios that will be delivered to the Finnish Defence Forces.

(Picture source: Bittium )

The order is a continuation to the ESSOR waveform porting order received in 2019. With the current purchase order, the porting proceeds from design phase to implementation phase. The porting of the waveform to the national software-defined radios enables compatibility between radios used in European coalition operations, in accordance with the goals of the ESSOR programme.

The ESSOR OC1 phase has continued the ESSOR programme, started in 2009, with the aim of enhancing the operational capabilities of the ESSOR High Data Rate Waveform (HDR WF) meant for joint operations of different national troops. The Bittium Tough SDR products can flexibly use the most suitable and best performing waveform, such as the ESSOR HDR Waveform, Bittium TAC WIN Waveform™ and Bittium Narrowband Waveform™. Using several waveforms, even simultaneously, improves compatibility and enables operations on different levels and missions.

The value of the purchase order is approximately EUR 1.6 million (excl. VAT). With the purchase order, the Finnish Defence Forces are taking up an option for the year 2020 from a purchase order announced in a press release on April 5, 2019. The corresponding work will be carried out during the year 2020. The purchase order does not affect Bittium's financial outlook for the year 2020 published in the Financial Statement Bulletin 2019 on February 13, 2020.

The Bittium Tough SDR product family of tactical radios consists of Bittium Tough SDR Handheld™, tactical handheld radio for individual soldiers, and Bittium Tough SDR Vehicular™, tactical radio for vehicle installations. Bittium Tough SDR products help to produce and share 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 leading the troops is easier based on the up-to-date situational awareness and more reliable connections. The uniquely wide range of frequency bands in the radios improves combat survivability.

Using several waveforms, even simultaneously, improves compatibility and enables operations on different levels and missions. Together with the SDR based Bittium Tactical Wireless IP Network™ (TAC WIN) system, used for forming a tactical broadband mobile IP backbone network, it is possible to bring broadband data and voice to all mobile troops starting from brigade level and all the way across the battlefield.

The aim of the ESSOR program is to develop the European Software Defined Radio technology in order to improve the capabilities for cooperation in coalition operations. The program was started in 2009 under the umbrella of the European Defense Agency (EDA)‎, has been sponsored by the governments of Finland, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, and was awarded by the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’ARmement (OCCAR) to the dedicated joint venture Alliance for ESSOR (a4ESSOR S.A.S.) to be in charge of managing the industrial consortium.

The members of the industrial consortium are Bittium from Finland, Indra from Spain, Leonardo from Italy, Radmor from Poland, and Thales from France. The first phase of the programme was successfully completed in 2015. In addition to the European High Data Rate Waveform, the first phase of the program produced and validated the definition for the European Software Defined Radio Architecture which was ported and qualified on six different European platforms. Since 2017, the program has continued with the ESSOR Operational Capability 1 (OC1) phase, which aims to enhance the operational capabilities of the ESSOR High Data Waveform (HDR WF).