Savox Chosen as Supplier for Future Dismounted Soldier System

Leading provider of C4I and dismounted soldier system solutions for defence and security users, Savox Communications, has, following a tough down-selection process, been chosen by a European Defence Force  as supplier of a Soldier Router product. The router product concept was proposed in response to an RfP for this important, though currently missing, element of the customers Future Warrior Programme. Savox will be at Eurosatory 2016 from 13-17 June, in Hall 6, Stand D301 on the Finnish Pavilion.

From a field of stiff, pre-qualified competition the Savox Soldier Router proposal was selected by the customer, based not only on competitive pricing, but also on the technological capabilities of the solution concept. This was backed up by Savox’s exceptional pedigree in the development and manufacture of highly successful defence and commercial communications systems, as well as its established status as supplier of the Tactical Headgear for changing Operational Requirements (THOR). The final contract negotiations and contract award are expected to be completed with the customer in the coming weeks.

The new Savox Soldier Router will provide a platform for voice and data integration for individual troops, whether mounted, or dismounted and will simplify the growing variety and demands for voice and data on the battlefield. The router is designed to ‘sit’ on a soldier’s back in his harness, requiring no interaction by the individual while on operations and simply needing to be turned on or off at the start and end of a mission. A harness-integrated PTT switch will enable voice communications with commanders, or others, onboard a vehicle platform, or when dismounted.

The Solider Router will interface with several radio types, including analogue and digital, military and commercial, compatible with various data ports, as well as offering wired or wireless Ethernet and USB access. With audio in and out, together with wireless local area (Wi-Fi) and personal area (Bluetooth) network functionality, the router will enable soldiers who increasingly find themselves operating in multi-vendor, combat system environments, to be able to connect with ‘anything’: different radios old and new and old and new platform intercom systems from different vendors.

And by ‘anything’, we mean ‘anything’: the new router concept will not only interface with tactical communications systems, but will also be able to take advantage of the existence of 3G/4G/LTE cellular networks and COTS (commercial off the shelf) technologies. In doing so, the Savox Soldier Router will provide extremely fast data communications capabilities that will easily support the high-speed, bandwidth-hungry data demands on tomorrow’s battlefield, thereby  providing a simple and incremental procurement path for new, mobile, high-speed data access solutions.

Jerry Kettunen, Savox CEO, said, “We are delighted that Savox has been chosen for a further important future soldier system, following on from last year’s success with our THOR combat headgear system. With the battlefield environment evolving all the time and the use of so many communications systems, sensors and devices all gathering tactical information that needs to be shared, an additional, complementary communications element is needed to enhance a soldier’s capability of coping with all this traffic. Our Soldier Router concept is just the answer and will meet the connectivity needs of future, networked combat and security troops everywhere.”

Also on the Savox stand in Paris will be latest versions of the Savox THOR Tactical Headgear system for changing Operational Requirements, suited to general combat, Special Forces, security, SWAT and other defence applications.  Sharing the stand will be the Savox IMP C4I-enabling, next-generation, tactical, digital intercoms system. THOR is now entering service with the FDF and IMP has been adopted by high-profile end users in both Europe and the Middle East.