MSPO 2026: Silvus Networked and Reliable Radios

At the same time, modern doctrine necessitates the decentralisation of command nodes (Mission Command, Decentralised Execution). The proliferation of low-cost strike drones has meant that the era of the centralised command post is gone for good. Today, tactical-level commanders and staff must operate in a dispersed manner, constantly on the move. Furthermore, jamming has become a commonplace and systematic tactic on the modern front line – not an isolated incident, but a permanent feature of the combat environment.

The enemy deliberately targets communications nodes to degrade situational awareness and paralyse command and control. In this environment, traditional VHF/UHF radio communications, with a bandwidth of tens of kbps and lacking resistance to interference, become a bottleneck that can literally cost lives.

At the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, Silvus Technologies is presenting its range of Silvus StreamCaster radios, which are designed to address this doctrinal and technological reality – combining the high bandwidth of MANET networks with unprecedented resistance to jamming. These devices operate at frequencies ranging from 300 MHz to 6 GHz, with 256-bit encryption in accordance with US government cryptographic standards. The radios utilise MN-MIMO (Mobile Networked MIMO) technology, patented by Silvus Technologies.

This technology combines COFDM (Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) with MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) antenna techniques and MANET (Mobile Ad-Hoc Network) technology. This provides digital communications with „unrivalled performance and flexibility” as well as reliable, high-bandwidth, networked video and data transmission (up to 100 Mbps) in the most challenging environmental and tactical conditions.

As a result, Silvus StreamCaster radios enable soldiers to receive information directly from a drone flying over the mission area, for example – with the camera feed displayed on a tactical console running the ATAK (Android Tactical Assault Kit) software. Previously, such information was relayed from a higher-level command post only after it had been plotted on a map, or verbally by an unmanned system operator monitoring the situation.

The radio units offered by Silvus Technologies, whilst within range of one another, connect to form a spatial network that is entirely decentralised. This network can comprise over 550 users, and the destruction of a single component does not take down the entire network, which immediately „repairs” itself. This network behaviour means that each radio unit has an unprecedented range, using other radio units as repeaters along the way to reach the intended recipient.

Exceptional resistance to interference

There are only a few radio stations in the world that operate in a similar way to the Silvus StreamCaster. However, what sets the solutions offered by Silvus Technologies apart is their exceptionally high resistance to interference, a feature that has, in fact, been tested in numerous locations around the world during actual combat operations. This is achieved on three levels.

Firstly, the aim is to ensure the „lowest possible probability of interception and detection” through:

• Power control (MAN-PC: Power Control). To this end, the signal power is adjusted as required, in accordance with the principle of 'always using the minimum power necessary to communicate with one another'. The uniqueness of the Silvus Technologies solution lies in providing such power control not only for two cooperating radio stations, but even for several hundred;
• The introduction of Stealth Mode, in which signal signatures are suppressed when no reception is taking place, ensuring practical undetectability.
• True Broadcast transmission, i.e. so-called one-to-many transmission without a handshake (exchange of information between two devices) that would give the system away to enemy sensors.

At the second level, functions are utilised to enhance resistance to interference. This has been achieved through:

Interference Cancellation (MAN-IC) – Real-time jamming cancellation while maintaining communication when in contact with the adversary. This is achieved through digital spatial nulling utilising MIMO multi-antenna architecture (2×2 in SC4200EP radios or 4×4 in SC4400E radios – where 4 antennas allow up to 3 sources of interference to be neutralised simultaneously).

• Interference Avoidance (MAN-IA) – that is, an algorithmic shift away from interfered-with frequencies before the jammer achieves synchronisation. However, this is not the so-called FHSS hopping, where the transmitter and receiver rapidly change the radio frequency according to a pre-determined key. Such constant and frequent changes drastically limit bandwidth, and thus the amount of data transmitted. In Silvus StreamCaster radio units, the frequency is set automatically depending on the external interfering signal, in a manner that is unpredictable to the jammer. Furthermore, the internal algorithm shifts not just a single radio but the entire network to the 'cleanest' frequency in terms of interference, creating a new channel. This occurs without any user intervention, with minimal delay and without any loss of video or data transmission smoothness;
• Interference Avoidance and Cancellation (MAN-IAC) – i.e. through a combination of avoidance and cancellation (which is effective against complex multi-vector interference);
• Real-time electromagnetic spectrum (RF) analysis (MAN-SA: Real-Time Spectrum Analysis) – which enables immediate detection of interference on all channels, enhancing continuous situational awareness in the RF domain with network adaptation that is faster than the threat;
• Dual-frequency link – i.e. the use of two frequencies (jamming of one does not interrupt communication).

The third level of jamming neutralisation stems from the use of a proprietary waveform (Proprietary Protected Waveform), over which Silvus Technologies has full control and which it is constantly developing based on user feedback (e.g. from the US armed forces or users in Ukraine). Importantly, this waveform has been implemented on the company’s own proprietary chipset (chip), which has been programmed from scratch, thereby eliminating the limitations inherent in commercial integrated circuit architectures.

Not just theory

Silvus StreamCaster radio systems are available in a portable version for individual soldiers (StreamCaster 4200EP – AN/PRC-169(v)2), a vehicle-mounted version (StreamCaster 4400E – AN/PRC-169(v)1), a miniature version (StreamCaster Mini 4200 – SCDR) and the StreamCaster LITE SL5200 model designed for unmanned aerial vehicles.

Thanks to their advantages, they are particularly useful in the process of integrating air defence systems. In systems such as IBCS, StreamCaster radios act as a resilient transport layer for the fire control network, ensuring the distribution of real-time target tracking data and operational continuity in the event of jamming, the dispersal of sensors and command posts, or the destruction of network nodes.

StreamCaster radios also enhance soldiers’ situational awareness by delivering data from unmanned systems directly to soldiers’ ATAK terminals or to the BMS, shortening the OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) decision-making loop and ensuring precise real-time Blue Force Tracking of friendly forces.

Meanwhile, the OEM modules (types: SL5200 / SM5200), which are integrated into drones and ground robots, eliminate a single point of failure in communications. The MANET network also provides a stable backhaul link for distributed C-UAS anti-drone sensors (electronic intelligence, acoustic and radar sensors), enabling instantaneous correlation and target designation for effectors.

Crucially, in conditions of active jamming – which on the modern battlefield is the rule rather than the exception – StreamCaster radio stations maintain communication where other systems fall silent. The combination of active interference compensation (MAN-IC), dynamic interference avoidance (MAN-IA) and a dual-frequency link ensures that the MANET network operates continuously, regardless of the intensity and nature of the jamming.

Command continuity is therefore not dependent on favourable electromagnetic conditions – it is a feature built into the system’s architecture.

These solutions can be viewed at stand 2-D18 during the MSPO trade fair in Kielce.

Sponsored article, based on materials provided by Silvus Technologies.