Konstanz, 08.08.2016. The security policy environment and the asymmetric spectrum of threats require not only the immediate availability of information, but also the smooth interaction between a wide array of various actors and different branches of the armed forces. The goal is to think and act together; the key factors are communication and information availability. After all, only having a common interoperable information and communication network for the joint forces can guarantee the effectiveness of the measures initiated across all of the combined troop units. At the same time, the increasing digitalisation of the battlefield requires a tactical backbone adapted to meet the challenges of the present and the future.
Central communication gateway
For that reason, ATM ComputerSysteme GmbH (ATM) uses its communication servers to provide the essential link between the various command and control applications on the one hand and the heterogeneous pool of command and control resources used in the STF and ADLER environment on the other. At the same time, the communication servers are used for the management and configuration of the telecommunications networks connected in the STF system network. The communication server is the central communication gateway in the German army. It connects different battle management systems and also ensures the efficient exchange of data between the connected branches of the armed forces on the ground and at sea.
With the new KommServerQ-STF, ATM now offers a cross-functional successor system that replaces and eliminates the need for the wide array of different variants of the communication server in the STF and ADLER environment.
Expandable communication system
The KommServerQ-STF is technologically based on the cross-functional standard KommServer, which has been available for a year. The KommServerQ-STF features installation conformity and connection compatibility with the KommServer previously used in the Joint Fire Support Team (JFST). Its modernised hardware designed to meet requirements of the future make the KommServerQ - STF the core component in the STF communication network. Equipped with more powerful communication processors, the new KommServerQ - STF increases processing speed and efficiency when communication and command & control resources are connected.
The KommServerQ - STF is expandable: The KommServerQ - STF also covers future communication requirements in the form of data and voice transmissions as well as security aspects – only the relevant software needs to be installed. The KommServerQ - STF is capable of transmitting digitised voice and data virtually simultaneously. For this purpose, the KommServerQ - STF is now equipped with an audio interface which analogue terminals such as the intercom system or a headset can be connected to.
Comprehensive communication connection
The task of the KommServer is to connect heterogeneous (even non-IP-capable) command and control resources and make them available – including a diverse array of the army’s command and control applications. The KommServer connects all existing command and control resources, from wire to radio to satellites, thus making the communications infrastructure available in the first place. The KommServer adapts to the dynamics of the network, detects errors and guarantees that information is transmitted to the recipient – even if transmission has been interrupted. As the backbone of tactical communication, the KommServer makes network-centric operations possible in the first place.