What the soldier wants. (Digest).

"Situational awareness on the battlefield -- in a small and lightweight package", was the retort from Dr Andy Feldstein, president of Innovative Concepts (ICI), when asked by Armada Editors at the Paris Air Show 2001 how he views today's combat soldier requirements and concerns. ICI produces a line of dual-channel PCIDM modem/ routers that provide an inexpensive, yet extremely effective mobile approach to wireless data communications. The company believes that the trend is turning away from voice communications and toward a universal data language with automatic translation features -- and ICI's PCIDM PCMCIA card provides specific layers of datalinks, networking and message processing features for soldiers to communicate directly from any commercial laptop. The laptop can be used as a ground station host for training, flight-testing, mission control and transmission/ reception of C2 messages and situation awareness data. ICI is also promoting the PCIDM for use in the JTRS arena with the introduction of a tactical Internet module (see "Radio Families on the Tactical Scene" page 48), and has discussed the PCIDM's practical use in Racal's MBITR (now from Thales Communications). Currently, the company is investigating the feasibility of integrating its card into future radios with higher data rates than currently available. One of the company's major concerns is the current download rates -- too slow for most practical purposes according to ICI. Innovative Concepts mentions that its PCIDM is the only PCMCIA card that covers the entire frequency spectrum and is interoperable with all radios.