Cubic's subsidiary GATR Technologies (GATR), which operates within the Cubic Mission Solutions (CMS) business division, introduces its inflatable 4m GATR Tropo antenna for the first time to the satellite communications (SATCOM) industry at AUSA. The extremely portable, 4m GATR Tropo can be packed into five cases weighing less than 620lbs total and is 50-80% less in volume and weight than the current rigid troposcatter antennas. Troposcatter antennas transmit and receive microwave signals at beyond-line-of-sight distances, as far as 200mi without SATCOM, by bouncing radio signals off layers of the Earth's atmosphere (troposphere).
“The debut of the four-meter GATR Tropo at AUSA is an exciting time for us as we’re introducing the most portable troposcatter antenna in the SATCOM industry,” said Paul Gierow, president of Cubic | GATR. “These antennas will better enable other types of communications for diverse missions.”
The new inflatable GATR Tropo antenna, which is available in 2.4- and four-meters, can lower operating costs for its customers as it drastically reduces shipping expenses and power requirements compared to portable, rigid tropo terminals. GATR Tropo antennas are also very reliable in extreme environments as they are able to receive tropo signals over diverse terrains when the antennas are elevated to 12 feet. The antennas can be set up and link-ready in less than 60 minutes, without the need of special tools. In addition, the modular design and dual-use parabolic antenna is mission capable for both troposcatter and standard SATCOM operations. The GATR Tropo antennas are available in C-band frequency.
“GATR’s inflatable Tropo antennas will impact satellite communications for not only the US Army, but also other military forces who use troposcatter communications to transmit voice and data without the use of satellites,” said Mike Twyman, president of Cubic Mission Solutions. “The addition of GATR Tropo antennas into CMS’ communication solutions will strengthen our offerings by providing lightweight, man-portable and ruggedized command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems to our customers worldwide.”
In addition to the 4m GATR Tropo, Cubic GATR is also showing their full range of inflatable satellite communications terminals in booth #8429 during AUSA.
