Defense
BAE Systems
Supporting Military Communications with Tactical Hotspots
Defense
BAE Systems
Supporting Military Communications with Tactical Hotspots
$1.62M
UK Army Investment
50x
More Cited Than Peer Patents
$1.62M
UK Army Investment
50x
More Cited Than Peer Patents
Tactical Hotspot is a compact, mobile digital communications set that can be deployed securely in an armored vehicle to enable front-line troops to communicate securely with their command headquarters.
When fitted to an adapted, Panther-armored combat vehicle with self-erecting radio masts, the hotspot can provide secure connectivity over several miles. In 2017 BAE Systems, Airbus, and General Dynamics (GD) partnered to develop the Strike Tactical Hotspot concept demonstrator, a new network technology for the British Army. Under a contract worth $1.62 million, BAE will supply two experimental Strike Tactical Hotspots to the British Army for demonstration purposes.22 If successful, BAE hopes to sell many more to the UK army and other NATO countries.
“In the future we’ll see a huge increase in numbers of unmanned vehicles, and that will place a training and communication burden upon the military,” says Amy Ennion, a systems engineer within BAE Systems.23
There are likely multiple patents related to this tactical hotspot technology, but the most relevant BAE patent is also among its most highly cited. Patent number 9,119,179 “Skypoint for mobile hotspots” has 124 citations in less than five years. It is cited almost 50 times more than peer patents of the same age and technology. The patent also leans heavily on IEEE science. Ten of its 13 non-patent references are to papers in IEEE journals and conferences.
Frequently Referenced IEEE Publications
This BAE Systems patent frequently references influential articles from the below IEEE publications.
22 Anonymous, (2017) "BAE, "General Dynamics, Airbus to develop tactical hotspot for British Army," Military & Aerospace Electronics. Oct 24th, 2017. https://www.militaryaerospace.com/communications/article/16709779/bae-general-dynamics-airbus-to-develop-tactical-hotspot-for-british-army Last accessed June 9, 2020. 23 Pozniak, Helena. (2018) "What does the future of military comms look like?" The Telegraph. December 14, 2018. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/stem-awards/defence-technology/military-communication-on-the-battlefield/ Last accessed June 9, 2020