The U.S. Marine Corps has purchased four man-pack receiving stations,
which would allow front-line troops to receive live video from reconnaissance
aircraft, including unmanned aerial vehicles.
The manufacturer, Tadiran Electronic Systems, in Holon, Israel,
says that the Corps plans to buy up to 64 MRS (man-pack receiving
station) systems.
The device weighs 7 kilograms, plus 2 kilograms for the terminal.
It performs the same functions typically expected of a ground station
the size of a trailer, said Hai Ben-Israel, president of Tadiran.
The system, unveiled at the 2002 Eurosatory exhibition, has a Pentium
III computer that displays situational awareness information, such
as maps and the location of friendly and enemy forces.
“Commanders will use it to get the UAV picture,” said
Ben-Israel. During a live demonstration at the exhibition, Tadiran
used a Sony Playstation to simulate the UAV streaming video.