Huntsville based GATR Technologies is moving up in the world of Defense Contracting. The company is known for its round inflatable satellites which have been in use for a few years now but a new duo of light-weight, portable satellite terminals, called Transportable Tactical Command Communications (T2C2), will soon be in even more soldiers’ hands.
The lightweight units can be easily packed in a box barely larger than a standard suitcase for quick and easy transportation.
“The ball itself is just the structure we are using if you look on the inside the ball itself is a parabolic shaped membrane that is the reflector and what that does is it just concentrates the energy better coming from a satellite and it allows you to get real high bandwidth signal communications,”said Dr. Larry Lowe, the Vice President of Engineering at GATR while at a AUSA conference in Huntsville.
“Our mission as an Expeditionary Signal Battalion (ESB) in the Pacific is to deploy on short notice anywhere within the course of the Pacific theater, which is over 50 percent of the globe,” said Lt. Colonel Mark Miles, commander for the 307th ESB via Army press release. “We as an Army fight on the network, every element has a requirement to be a part of the digital effort that enables our military.”
The T2C2 Lite v1 will allow forces access via satellite to the Army’s tactical communications network backbone, Warfighter Information Network-Tactical. This will give some of the first forces that enter an area the ability to assess their surroundings quickly.
In later operations, T2C2 Heavy (v2) will extend the Army’s network to the tactical edge by enabling company level command post/forward operating base communications. Both satellites will be an asset to forces operating in austere environments.
The Army awarded the first T2C2 LRIP delivery order on December 11, worth $3.26 million, under a single award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity Small Business Innovation Research III contract to GATR Technologies for both T2C2 Lite (v1) and T2C2 Heavy (v2).
GATR is a Huntsville company that has been in business for approximately 10 years.
Courtesy US Army
December 20, 2015
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