A milestone has occurred for the Spectra Group — the company is celebrating having delivered more than 7,000 SlingShot SATCOM systems to regular and specialist forces around the globe… all of which coincides with the firm’s 20th Anniversary.
Since its launch at the Military Satellite Conference in London in November of 2014, SlingShot is in operation with specialist or regular forces in more than 24 countries, globally. SlingShot has provided hundreds of thousands of hours of secure satellite communications (SATCOM / MILSATCOM) and data for modern armies and security forces using their own, in-service radios, thereby minimizing the cost and training burden.
Winner of the Queen’s Award for Innovation, the SlingShot system is low in size, weight and power (SWaP) systems to extend their range from 30 to 1000(+) km., thereby providing true, Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) and Communications on the Move (COTM), in all conditions — from a single system.
Designed by, and for use with specialist forces, Slingshot is perfect for missions where troops are deployed with minimal logistical support, in remote locations and where there is limited transport capacity. By integrating the SlingShot system with Inmarsat’s L-TAC satellite service, and attached to an in-service radio, deployed troops instantly gain strategic communications that would otherwise not be available without a significant communications infrastructure.
In addition to the robust BLOS voice capability, SlingShot also has sufficient bandwidth to carry critical data to support essential applications such as: situational awareness tools; GPS tracking; reporting and other data messaging without the requirement for ground-based line-of-sight re-broadcasting architecture.
Finally, the Slingshot omni-directional antennas provide manpack, land, sea and air platforms with real-time Comms on the Move (COTM), rather than having to be static as experienced with traditional TACSAT systems.
Simon Davies, CEO of Spectra Group, said, “We are very proud of the Slingshot system and how successful it has been in solving the communications challenges faced by both specialist and regular forces when deployed all over the world in austere locations. 7000 units is a significant milestone and particularly pleasing in this our 20th anniversary year. It also demonstrates that SlingShot is proving to be a battle-winning capability and part of its success is the fact it is genuinely “plug and play” converting any in-service tactical radio system into a BLOS and COTM satellite communications system with minimal training.”