[Satellite TODAY 01-08-10] Comtech Mobile Datacom Corp.’s Blue Force Tracking-HC (BFT-HC) ground mobile and aviation transceiver and network solution has passed U.S. Army-sponsored field-testing, Comtech announced Jan. 7.
    Comtech said the commercial-off-the-shelf equipment met or exceeded all JCR and BFT-2 specifications during the testing, which included performance judgment during flight maneuvers at speeds approaching 150 knots. Comtech demonstrated full performance over the Inmarsat I-4 satellite using the BFT-1 blade antenna. With the transceiver operating at 131 kilobits per second (kbps), Comtech’s core network and adaptive multi-user detection ground station demonstrated packet completion rates exceeding Blue Force Tracking-2 (BFT-2) threshold performance levels. Comtech also demonstrated in-flight data rates of 230 kbps with its advanced antenna.
    "Comtech’s BFT-HC equals BFT-2 and is ready for field deployment. [The solution] provides the U.S. Army a unique ability to seamlessly transition to BFT-2 by implementing a staged upgrade cycle that eliminates the risk of network disruption while minimizing the costs of operating two different networks during a challenging budget environment," Comtech CEO Fred Kornberg said in a statement.

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