This upgrade will help Air Force convoys communicate while on the move

Persistent Systems will receive $25 million to upgrade hardware for the Wave Relay Tactical Assault Kit (WaRTAK) program, which provides multidomain communications and situational awareness to Air Force convoys, the company announced April 8.

“It ties radio, GPS, cellular and satellite internet connections — everything — into our self-healing Wave Relay [mobile ad hoc network],” Adrien Robenhymer, vice president of business development for Persistent, said in a statement.

The mobile ad hoc network allows users to share voice, video, text, GPS location and sensor data without fixed infrastructure or a central node, providing resilient communications and situational awareness to the convoy.

The system uses a shared digital map to allow users to coordinate with friendly units or identify unknown or enemy vehicles that may pose a threat to the convoy. WaRTAK is used by the 90th Missile Wing, 91st Missile Wing and 341st Missile Wing, according to the company.

The WaRTAK hardware ― the MPU5 system — can be installed on ground vehicles and on support aircraft, or carried by dismounted individuals.

Persistent is to supply 400 MPU5 systems under the four-year contract, replacing and adding to the 350 MPU3 and MPU4 systems it previously delivered to the Air Force. The company claims the fifth-generation hardware will be 55 percent smaller than previous iterations, while resulting in power savings of 30 percent.

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