Compact comms for ground troops

Wired for sound: Pte Chris Harris, of 1RAR, trials the SPR on deployment to the Solomon Islands. Photo by Cpl Neil Ruskin

By Cpl Andrew Hetherington

SOLDIERS will be able to communicate more effectively in the field, with the introduction of 6000 Soldier Personal Radios (SPR) later this year.

Land 125 Project Director Lt-Col Craig Oakley said the SPRs would cost $13 million and were selected via an open tender process and each of the competitors were assessed through a number of phases, including user evaluation.

“3RAR undertook the user evaluation of all tendered radios in September of last year,” he said.

“As a result of rapid acquisition for operational requirements, the radio was deployed to the Solomon Islands with 1RAR and is being used by Secdet and AMTG in Iraq.

“There has been very positive feedback from the users of the SPR.”

The radios are made by the Marconi company and Lt-Col Oakley said they were a compact, lightweight design and were easy to use.

“The radios weigh 580 grams with batteries and utilise a remote press-to-talk switch, which soldiers can attach to the fore grip of their rifle,” he said.

“Soldiers don’t have to remove their hand from their weapon to talk.”

Lt-Col Oakley said field signals would almost be a thing of the past.

“Soldiers can communicate over 500m of open terrain, through a number of floors when inside buildings and through numerous houses in an urban environment,” he said.

“The benefits of the radios are when soldiers are separated by some distance in patrol formation, they had to previously communicate with hand signals. Now all a soldier needs to do is press to talk and whisper instructions to the other people in his section.”

A section in the field does not need to carry a section radio. Lt-Col Oakley said the radio’s signal was very difficult to intercept.

“At platoon level the Command Post has a Combat Net Radio, which the SPR interfaces with,” he said.

“The radios utilise spread spectrum technology, which makes it difficult for the enemy to intercept the radio signal.”

Lt-Col Oakley said it was planned to deliver the radios to units by the end of June.

“They will be used by ARA infantry battalions, cavalry reconnaissance scouts, the Combat Training Centre and School of Infantry,” he said. “It is very easy and straightforward to train personnel in the use of the radios, with only three 40-minute lessons needed.”

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