UK defense technology company Qinetiq has ordered Saab’s integrated communication system, TactiCall, for use at their Shore-based Information Facility (SIF), a testing facility in Portsdown, near Portsmouth in the UK.
QinetiQ’s SIF is used to carry out the testing and evaluation of communications equipment for the Royal Navy.
TactiCall will help the SIF control the different external communication setups used for testing purposes, regardless of their individual radioband, frequency and hardware, by seamlessly interconnecting them. It can also simulate these naval domain communication setups used on different ship classes.
As explained by Saab, the system also allows for switching between different communication setups much more smoothly as part of the SIF’s own testing capability, thereby increasing effectivity when it comes to daily operations.
“We first provided TactiCall to the SIF as part of Saab’s support for the Royal Navy’s ‘Information Warrior’ exercise in April 2018. It proved its value then and this decision by QinetiQ to make TactiCall part of the everyday operations demonstrates that users quickly see the benefits it brings”, said Ellen Molin, senior vice president and head of Saab’s Support and Services business.
“QinetiQ have chosen TactiCall to enhance the management of our communications facilities at Portsdown Technology Park where initially it is being used for voice communications within a single domain. Already TactiCall has made a significant impact to our communications facilities, so we intend to take a deeper look at the other capabilities provided by the secure TactiGuard solution”, said Mike Loneragan, chief engineer from QinetiQ.
This is the first sale of TactiCall in the UK outside the civilian domain or the Royal Fleet Auxilliary. The TactiCall installation at the SIF is a compact system consisting of four operator positions and a management server.