{"id":49197,"date":"2023-05-16T16:34:51","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T16:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2023\/05\/16\/us-army-preps-for-fresh-mobile-communications-experiment\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:34:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:34:43","slug":"us-army-preps-for-fresh-mobile-communications-experiment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2023\/05\/16\/us-army-preps-for-fresh-mobile-communications-experiment\/","title":{"rendered":"US Army preps for fresh mobile communications experiment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

FORT MYER, Va. \u2014 The U.S. Army is planning a second experiment where the latest networking technologies will be tested for potential outfitting aboard armored vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The assessment, known formally as the Armored Formation Network On-The-Move Pilot, is scheduled for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, and will likely happen at Fort Bliss, Texas, according to John Gillette, the product manager for mission network at the Army\u2019s Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical, or PEO C3T<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armored formations now lack the connectivity Army leaders want, and network modernization is among the service\u2019s top priorities as it prepares for potential large-scale conflicts with China in the Indo-Pacific or Russia in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armor often can\u2019t afford to stop \u2014 or stop for too long, lest be targeted \u2014 and runs the risk of digitally disconnecting as it thunders across the landscape. The heavy-duty machinery also presents unique challenges to designers, integrators and crew: Tight quarters make every inch precious, power consumption<\/a> needs to be balanced, and constant rumbles and vibration require rugged hardware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The upcoming on-the-move pilot will ultimately help \u201coutfit the armored units\u201d as well as inform the next wave of development, Gillette said at an event this month at Fort Myer, Virginia. Future equipment, he added, will be \u201ca lot simpler and a lot more resilient, and then also lighter on the vehicle.\u201d PEO C3T is moving away from what were known as capability sets, batches of upgraded equipment rolled out every other year, to what is now recognized as the \u201cdivision as a unit of action network design,\u201d meant to address the Army\u2019s 2030 and 2040 goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\t