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 Vehicle convoys are an essential element of tactical and logistical military operations. The success of a convoy depends upon situational awareness, early threat detection and stifling of threats. Communications on the move (COTM) within the convoy and to command bases are a critical requirement. Legacy solutions are either predominantly voice-based or rely upon satellites for communication. Although satellite-based solutions are omnipresent and meet the critical communication requirements, they do have limitations which can be augmented through alternate technologies.
Dismounted Soldiers
An essential extension of a convoy operation is the need to support dismounted soldiers. Extending communications to soldiers during dismount operations is critical to their safety and success. This may include live video feeds, electronic status monitoring, and providing access to information to coordinate responses within the team.
Limitations of Satellite-Based Solutions
 Satellite-based solutions deployed today have some inherent limitations:
♦ Satellites are expensive to deploy and maintain
♦ There is a high roundtrip delay for data
♦ Satellite networks are not well suited for video surveillance
♦ Receiver units are expensive
♦ It is impractical to configure every vehicle with satellite equipment
♦ Satellite networks can yield unpredictable performance due to transmit power and receive sensitivity variations
Terrestrial Mesh Overlay
Augmenting the satellite-based systems through terrestrial mesh overlay networks has several advantages:
- Enables cost-effective use of satellite air time
- Provides high speed data connectivity over many miles
- Leverages commercial off-the-shelf technology
- Offers military-grade security (Suite B encryption)
- Supports applications such as live video feeds, vehicle health monitoring, and remote data access
- Enables all vehicles to be fully connected to the network and hence have complete situational awareness
 Vehicles moving in a convoy may only see one or more of the other vehicles en route, and this could change depending upon the terrain and the obstructions between vehicles. Fortress FastPath™ mesh technology constantly monitors the health of the links between vehicles and rapidly switches the preferred path for data flows to provide the most optimal response at all times.
Fortress solutions provide:
- Unmatched radio performance
- Hardware-based encryption for highest performance
- Certified, standard, interoperable, and compliant security (FIPS 140-2 accreditation, Suite B encryption)
- Open interfaces to standard situational awareness visual aids, such as, Falcon View and Google Earth
- Fortress FastPath Mesh™ is optimized to provide the best performance for video by intelligent use of unicast and multicast data forwarding
ES820 Vehicle Mesh Point
 The ES820 Tactical Mesh Point differentiates itself by being the only product specially designed for vehicle use that operates in a broad range of environmental conditions, with the most comprehensive security in the industry. The ES820 sets itself apart from any competing product through:
- Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) custom designed for vehicles
- Highest environmental rating (MIL-STD-810G, IP67, NEMA-4X, ICC/ENX)
- Has been field tested to provide 2.2 miles of direct connectivity between vehicles
Detailed specifications and certifications
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