Infantry Troops Will Leave All Cables Behind

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Intra-soldier wireless (ICW) technology seeks to link pieces of the infantry warfighter’s kit, such as wearable computers, radios, and electro-optical rifle sights without cumbersome cabling and connectors in a similar way that people today link their smartphones and smartwatches.

The trick, however, is to provide wireless data links that are secure from enemy attempts to intercept or jam these wireless links among the soldier’s field gear. The communications module, moreover, must be small and lightweight enough not to encumber the warfighter in the field, according to militaryareospace.com.

U.S. Army researchers are surveying industry for companies able to design a secure small, lightweight wireless communications module to tie together wearable electronics on the individual infantry warfighter without eavesdropping or interference from the enemy.

A source-sought notice was issued by the Army Contracting Command at Fort Belvoir, Va., for the Secure Intra-Soldier Wireless Module with Reduced Size and Power (ICW Chipset) project.

Army researchers envision a wireless communications module able to support AES-256 bit encryption that can enable soldier systems developers to address emerging requirements for small low-power intra-soldier wireless systems. They want to demonstrate significant size and power reduction in prototype ISW modules to support integration with dismounted Soldier systems such as the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS).

This effort also will address emerging requirements for improved encryption to support certification for secure but unclassified (SBU) and secret and below (SAB) operation. Researchers want to integrate such secure, small, low power ISW modules with existing or developmental sensor systems to improved situational awareness communications, and sensor processing capability to infantry warfighters.