The U.S. Air Force has put together a modular communications system that, when
deployed, will replace an entire shelter of equipment.
A single module will provide telephone lines, Internet connections and other
communication infrastructure that typically is behind a cube wall in an office
environment, said Joan Wandrei, system program manager at the Air Force’s
Electronic Systems Center.
Specifically, the module configurations offer voice, data, multiplexing, on-base
transmission and network controls. Operators in the field have the option of
communicating by radio or telephone. They also can connect to a local network
or access a satellite.
Participating in the five-year project, with an estimated worth of nearly half
a billion dollars, are Dell Marketing, Round Rock, Tex.; Northrop Grumman Defense
Mission Systems, Reston, Va.; General Dynamics Decision Systems, Scottsdale,
Ariz.; Northrop Grumman Electronics Systems, Gaithersburg, Md.; and, Redcom
Laboratories, Victor, N.Y.