Raytheon launches civil communications demonstration
Raytheon Company has developed a mobile civil communications solutions demonstration that allows US first responders to experience seamless communications capabilities that could help save lives when crises strike, the company claims
The mobile demonstration is a high-tech experience where public safety professionals can fully immerse themselves in rescue scenarios and realize the benefits that interoperable communications provide.
The experience features Raytheon's open architecture solutions, which allow users who operate on different types and frequencies of legacy communications networks to communicate locally and regionally, or in systems that span the United States.
First responders receiving the demonstrations are encouraged to bring their own radios and use them to communicate with any radio on another system or frequency.
"For more than 40 years, Raytheon has provided soldiers on the battlefield access to seamless, interoperable voice, video and data communications systems, without the benefit of existing infrastructure," said Jerry Powlen, Raytheon Network Centric Systems vice president of Integrated Communications Systems. "We have now taken that proven technology and applied it in a public safety environment, virtually eliminating barriers to communication when it matters most."
The mobile Civil Communications demonstration will begin in Los Angeles and provide demonstrations around the country to first responder agencies at the state and local levels. It travels on a 33-ton, 53-foot, 18-wheel vehicle that expands to 733 square feet — twice its normal size — when stationary. It is also a self-contained unit, complete with all the necessary equipment for a variety of live, interactive demonstrations using Raytheon's array of Civil Communications products.
"When police officers and firefighters from different municipalities respond to emergencies, incompatible radios can hinder basic communication," said Mike Bostic, a Raytheon NCS director of Civil Communications and 34-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department. "The technology exists to solve that problem, so we want to visit our public safety professionals, and let them see for themselves how a truly interoperable communications system can help make them safer."
