Finnish army chooses networked battlefield communications and surveillance equipment from Elbit Systems

HAIFA, Israel, 29 May 2012. Leaders of the Finnish army based in Mikkeli, Finland, needed battlefield communications and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) equipment for the services infantry soldiers. They found their solution from Elbit Systems in Haifa, Israel.

Elbit will supply the company's Dominator enhanced observation soldier equipment, situational awareness software, combat radios, and wearable computer systems under terms of a contract from the Finnish army, as well as support the military service in developing new combat doctrines for the Finnish army's future forward observation programs. The amount of the contract was not disclosed.

Dominator will help enhance the Finnish army's situational awareness with networked integrated information systems that enable warfighters to send and receive information in real time, view an up-to-the-minute common operational picture of enemy and their own forces on personal displays, as well as live video from either external or on-body sensors and transmit images and positions back to commanders and colleagues.

Dominator has the Elbit Systems C4I SW software developed to assure simple, swift operation in intense combat. It supports planning, situational awareness, target handling, and device connectivity, as well as video and map displays.

Elbit's C4I SW software also provides command and control for light infantry forces, and interfaces to armored units, artillery, and close air support units.

The Australian army also has chosen parts of the Dominator concept for its Land 75/125 program, in which Elbit Systems will provide battle group and below command, control and communications (BGC3) systems for Australian soldiers, vehicle mounted commanders and headquarters/command post staff, under terms of a $298 million contract.

Dominator interfaces with existing communication equipment to enable every soldier to be a sensor, Elbit officials say. Dominator equipment includes a ruggedized tactical computer called the personal digital unit (PDU); the Tactical Intranet Geographic Dissemination in Real-time (TIGER) system that unifies communications channels into a tactical intranet; wearable camera and eyepiece to transmit and receive live video; hand-held display; and wireless local area network.

The TIGER system provides tactical intranet and creates interest-based, geographic data dissemination. TIGER provides message transfer, flow, and continuous delivery.

The eyepiece display has built-in line-of-sight sensors and can be mounted on a helmet, on the warrior's vest, or as part of the weapon-mounted fire control system.

The hand-held display is a compact, portable, sunlight-readable display packaged in a 5.6- or 8-inch touch-panel screen with operation function keys to sow command-and-control information and streaming video.

The MaXess broadband military wireless LAN supports live video transmission and reception based on advanced ad-hoc networking protocols.

Although Dominator interfaces with any communications device, it is designed to work best with the Tadiran PRC-710 MB advanced, secured multi-band (30-512 MHz), frequency-hopping hand-held radio that operates at frequencies from 30 to 512 MHz; the Tadiran PNR-1000A personal network radio that integrates voice communications with a C4I application computing unit; and the Tadiran PNR-500 personal net radio that enables three-way conferencing on one communications channel, which operates at 410 to 450 MHz.

Dominator also works with the Elbit S-NAV smart infantry location and tracking device; COMBAT-NG artillery C4I system; improvised explosive device (IED) jammer; LILY lightweight thermal imaging weapon sights; MARS uncooled hand-held thermal imager; CORAL-LS medium-range hand-held thermal cameras; and other networked battlefield communications gear.

For more information contact Elbit Systems online at www.elbitsystems.com, or the Finnish army at www.puolustusvoimat.f.

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