Eurosatory 2016: Thales Unveils SYNAPS Tactical Software-Defined Radio for Collaborative Combat

 
Eurosatory 2016 Official news online coverage report show daily pictures video International Exhibition of Land Defence & Security army military equipment Paris France industry technology
 
Eurosatory 2016
Defence & Security International Exhibition
Official News online with Editorial and Web TV
Paris
, France
13 - 17 June 2016
 
Thales SYNAPS radio
 
 
Eurosatory 2016: Thales Unveils SYNAPS Tactical Software-Defined Radio for Collaborative Combat
On day 1 of Eurosatory 2016, Thales unveiled SYNAPS, the new broadband tactical software-defined radio family designed to support battlespace digitisation and C4I systems. In addition to hierarchical communications, SYNAPS provides a unique collaborative combat capability based on real-time horizontal communications between all the units on the ground. Building on the key features of CONTACT France, the largest software-defined radio programme in Europe, SYNAPS is designed for international markets and meets the requirements of land, air and naval forces.
     
Thales SYNAPS Radio Eurosatory 2016 online news 1 SYNPAS radio family on display at the Thales booth during Eurosatory 2016
     
Talking to Army Recognition, Hervé Derrey, General Manager for radio communication systems at Thales said "Nowadays, connectivity is really at the heart of an operation. SYNAPS will greatly help collaborative combat: For example, inside a platoon, a vehicle detecting a threat, a second vehicle targeting that threat and a third vehicle destroying that threat. This was not possbile before but with our new connectivity systems it is now possible". In addition to accelerating collaborative combat, SYNAPS allows for "flat networking". For example two recon units not belonging to the same chain of command will be able to immediatly and directly connect with each other to share voice or data. Another advantage of SYNAPS is that it is 100% ITAR free.

As the digitisation of the battlespace continues, SYNAPS not only meets the need for hierarchical communications within the command structure but also supports new forms of engagement such as collaborative combat. Like the network of neurons in the human brain, SYNAPS acts as the nervous system of a military deployment, enabling units to detect threats and share information about the tactical situation in real-time and at high data rates. These dual hierarchical and collaborative capabilities support C4I applications (Command, Control, Computers, Communications and Intelligence), providing commanders with information superiority and significantly raising the tempo of operations. SYNAPS represents a great leap forward in radiocommunications for the armed forces and is the only system of its kind in the marketplace.
     
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With most military operations now conducted by coalition forces, SYNAPS is built around SDR / SCA technologies compliant with the latest NATO and international coalition standards, most notably the ESSOR (European Secure Software Defined Radio) high-data-rate standard, developed by the armed forces of six European nations (Finland, France, Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden), which is also a candidate for the NATO specification and standard. In addition, SYNAPS radios are reprogrammable and ready to accommodate new standards in the future.

SYNAPS radio communication systems offer user services including voice, messaging, video, chat and Blue Force Tracking simultaneously and with differentiated quality of service, with the most critical data transfers being accorded priority status. SYNAPS also offers excellent range performance and protection from radio interference on the battlefield, while optimising use of the frequency spectrum for the same amount of useful data throughput.
     
Thales SYNAPS Radio Eurosatory 2016 online news 2 French Defense Minister getting briefed on SYNAPS at the Thales booth during Eurosatory 2016
     
SYNAPS radio communication systems provide the optimum combination of data rates, security and connectivity and adapt automatically as operational deployments are reconfigured during a mission. SYNAPS is suitable for forces of various sizes ranging from a few dozen users to joint brigade level deployments.

Lastly, the new SYNAPS software-defined radio family is designed for all types of users, all platform types and all branches of the armed forces as well as joint, combined arms and allied operations.

As  prime contractor for France’s CONTACT programme lead by DGA (French Procurement Agency), Thales will deliver the first software radio solutions to the French armed forces from 2019.