The Challenge
You need to exercise command and control of widely dispersed forces in austere environments without the delay of deploying terrestrial infrastructures, or the operational burden of protecting and sustaining them. UHF TACSAT channels are in short-supply and expensive.

The Requirement
Increase the number of secure BLOS channels available for voice and data over tactical, theatre and strategic distances using existing tactical radios.

The Solution
SlingShot, a small external adaptor for military radios, allows low-latency voice and data regional communications, with the additional option of connecting to an out-of-theatre rear-base command node.

Using Inmarsat’s world leading satellite communications network, SlingShot gives the unique capability to access single-hop L-L band relay from an existing global constellation of geostationary satellites.

Non-combatant Evacuation Operation
As a result of internal troubles a Non-combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) has been planned and is about to be executed using troops from the EU. The force has a number of SlingShot systems and an active satellite Inmarsat lease provided by Spectra. With SlingShot being trusted with scenarios such as this, it shows how trustworthy these communications really are; even while in a moving vehicle!

Early Entry Force communicates securely with Naval Detachment
An early entry force is deployed by air and, using the SlingShot aviation system, continues to carry out mission planning, using their secure UHF tactical handsets. Concurrently, a naval detachment has taken an offshore position and is able to join the operational net, and communicate with the early entry force. Both teams are using tactical radios and, despite being thousands of miles apart, have secure voice and data capability.

Co-ordinated Evacuation
On landing, ground troops, using VHF radios, equipped with SlingShot, disembark and move to the objective to begin the evacuation. During this phase they are still connected to both the air and naval platforms using the same radios. In addition the National HQ in the home base has connected to the tactical network and is maintaining a listening watch. Following a successful extraction the non-combatants are escorted to the waiting naval ship and the ground troops return to the airhead and depart.

Theatre-Wide Tactical Communications via SlingShot
Throughout the operation all elements have maintained secure BLOS voice and data communications on tactical UHF & VHF radios. This has been made possible due to the interoperability of the SlingShot system and the provision of a bespoke multi-headed satellite beam covering the whole area of interest. With SlingShot being trusted with comms such as these, they can be trusted with anything!