Comtech Telecommunications

Comtech Telecommunications the American is a system manufacturer corporation. communications

2022: Delivery of COMET tropospheric communication systems to Ukraine during a special operation of Russia

In early May 2022, information appeared on the transfer to the APU of COMET's Comtech Telecommunications Corp.

This technology makes it possible to transmit a signal hundreds of kilometers, including to hard-to-reach regions, through a ground station. In other words, there is no need to launch satellites into Earth orbit as they do for communication, for example, through Starlink.

The operation is in the data relay mode through reflection from the lower layers of the atmosphere, which makes it possible to transmit a signal from station to station over huge distances.

Technology solves the problem of the lack of fiber-optic infrastructure in remote or inaccessible regions, where there are a lot of settlements and a large density of population. Pulling a communication line to each of them is time-consuming and costly. Satellite communication is unstable and also expensive.

Comet is a portable data repeater that weighs 23 kg in a working configuration, which allows it to be transported by air and transported in a car. There is a regular battery that can be charged with solar energy.

Technical specifications:

• Data transfer speed from 5 to 60 Mbps at a distance of up to 60 km depending on the terrain in tropospheric communication. In radio relay communication (several stations directed at each other at a distance of several kilometers) - up to 210 Mbps.
• High throughput and security of the tactical communication channel.
• Noise immunity.
• Unable to track through GPS.
• Install and connect in less than 15 minutes by one person.
• Remote access and configuration with. smartphone
• Light antenna 1 m long.

Comparing COMET with Starlink, tropospheric communications are much more efficient than satellite communications in terms of speed and martial law. It cannot be traced and is extremely difficult to plug.

This system provides stable secure communication with active antenna repeaters, which are portable and can be installed both stationary and on the roof of moving equipment.

Starlink, unlike COMET, does not work when there are physical obstacles to the signal direction, high population density and poor weather conditions. In addition, with tropospheric communications, there is no need to rent an expensive satellite channel.

The most important advantage of satellite communications over tropospheric communications is the coverage area that COMET stations cannot achieve without numerous powerful substations.

Since 2020, these complexes have been actively used by the special operations forces of the US Armed Forces. In 2022, the British leadership signed a contract for the supply of COMET stations for service in the British Marine Corps.