Army tests innovative radio in combat situation

2/16/2012

The Army recently took a large step forward in the quest to provide better communication among soldiers. The 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan just completed the first formal combat testing of the Rifleman Radio, which aims to make it easier for troops to quickly share important information across small units, Army News Service reports.

The radio is unique in that it uses the Soldier Radio Waveform, which lets troops access a larger part of the available spectrum. In doing so, it allows them to send everything from voice recordings to video to any other combat data with other troops, and now it has the seal of approval from the people who will benefit the most.

"The Rangers felt the radio was very effective for conducting infantry operations, especially at the small unit level," Col. John Zavarelli told the news source. "Rifleman Radio allowed them to execute missions very rapidly because they had an improved awareness of where they were in relation to surrounding troops. Mission Command decisions were achieved faster."

The Rifleman Radio is just the latest of many technological advances being made by the military to increase connectivity. According to Bloomberg, the Air Force is planning on purchasing 18,000 iPads for flight crews.