Reticulate Micro, Inc. announced it successfully demonstrated what the company believes to be the first-ever real-time video streaming over the mobile user objective system (MUOS) tactical satellite network for a U.S. Special Operations organization.
The joint U.S. Army live training exercise included Reticulate and its partners, NanTenna, LLC, a leader in antenna technology innovation, and Curtiss-Wright, a trusted, proven leader in communications and processing systems for the tactical edge as well as other highly engineered products and services for the aerospace/defense industry.
The teams integrated Reticulate Micro’s VAST video encoder and Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions’ PacStar® Modular Radio Center to deliver live video for the first time over unbonded but Type 1 encrypted MUOS narrowband channels. Despite the constrained bandwidth, the combined solution delivered minimal delay and clear picture quality, demonstrating the potential of live video over MUOS SATCOM systems.
“We demonstrated a complete point-to-point, real-time full-motion video session over MUOS in both static and on-the-move scenarios,” noted Brian Hawkins, principal architect, Reticulate Micro, who conducted the video at a U.S. Army site. “Overall reactions from the customer were extremely positive, with invites back for follow-on exercises.” “We are proud of our team that executed this powerful demonstration,” said Joshua Cryer, president and CEO, Reticulate Micro. “Along with our partners, NanTenna and Curtiss-Wright, we continue to make history together with low latency and high-quality voice and video.”
Thomas Larkin, president of NanTenna, considers the MUOS demonstration a huge leap forward in narrowband SATCOM capabilities. “As more and more users are allocated MUOS connectivity, it is imperative that we, as an industry, offer end-to-end solutions to maximize its utility value to the warfighter. This demonstrates that our existing technologies can provide high-quality, low-latency video, even in the most challenging environments," he said.
“Curtiss-Wright is dedicated to developing small form factor rugged tactical communications solutions for the U.S. DOD and our allies,” said Brian Perry, senior vice president and general manager, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions Division. “By pairing our PacStar® Modular Radio Center and Modular Data Center with components from defense industry-leading partners like Reticulate Micro and NanTenna, we are able to extend C2 networks with simultaneous voice, video and mission data anywhere within the worldwide coverage area of MUOS.”
The latest demonstration follows a U.S. Army demonstration of VAST over UHF TACSAT in February, conducted in partnership with NanTenna. Input from this and other demos is guiding Reticulate’s product roadmap, as it looks to add new features and functionality to meet the U.S. military’s mobile comms requirements.