The Brazilian Army begins to receive its RDS radios from the company AEL Sistemas

By SDR News On Mar 2, 2024

The Brazilian Army receives the first Software Defined Radio (SDR) prototypes of the Elbit systems. According to the plan, the army will receive 16 prototypes of the RDS Defesa systems

Company sources say that an initial batch is now expected to be distributed among the forces and to develop doctrine for the automotive version of the system.

Software-Defined Radio (RDS Defesa) Project, a solution that is part of the strategic programs of the Ministry of Defense. The multi-band radio equipment, capable of performing different waveforms, promoting interoperability between the armed forces, is entirely designed and manufactured by AEL Sistemas, in accordance with the joint operational requirements of the three forces.

The delivery of the units marks the consolidation of 100% domestically produced RDS as a strategic defense product (PED) and establishes an important milestone in the technological development of the Brazilian defense industrial base, with AEL Sistemas as the main development partner.

AEL is the Brazilian subsidiary of the Israeli company Elbit Systems. The radios have been subjected to extensive and rigorous battery testing, following all requirements of military standards.

After delivery of the prototype, the Ministry of Defense is expected to acquire an initial batch for distribution among the forces and develop doctrine for the vehicle variant of the system. To achieve this, an interoperability waveform (embedded software in the radio) must be developed on the platform for the Navy, Army and Air Force.

Progressing to the next stages of RDS is crucial for Brazil to reduce external dependence in the field of communications. For strategic programs, this will represent a significant leap by providing several applications in the context of technical command and control interoperability.

As an example, coordinated RDS can enable communication between Army ground forces, the Brazilian Air Force’s F-39 Gripen fighter jet (FAB), and a Navy multi-purpose ship, all on the same data link.

According to Elbit, the maturity of the system allows its rapid deployment in some defense fronts that better suit the project, especially the Integrated Border Surveillance System, the Armored Forces program and the work of

Medium-range anti-aircraft artillery.

According to Elbit, Software Defined Radios (SDRs) offer secure and reliable battlefield communications. Robust error-correction algorithms eliminate the possibility of lost data packets, and self-healing, self-forming ad hoc network capability ensures stable multi-megabit-per-second data communications at adaptive bandwidth.

SDRs allow simultaneous transmission of a wideband waveform (WF) and a narrowband WF. Narrowband WF features simultaneous voice and data transmission using only 25 Khz of the VHF frequency band while allowing a maximum data rate of 115.2 Kbps. An outstanding auto-routing and relaying capability dramatically extends its range even in harsh field conditions, while a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) ensures uninterrupted IP network connectivity during every mission. The SDR is housed in a single radio unit, which improves operational efficiency by allowing the use of fewer radios in the field.