Enterprise Control Systems (ECS), a specialist in radio frequency technology and part of SPX Communication Technologies, has introduced ECS Connect, a new intelligent data link network manager.
The system is designed to enhance the reliability and efficiency of video, audio, and data transmission across air, land, and sea by automatically transitioning between various communication protocols.
These include COFDM, SATCOM, LTE, Cellular, and MESH, ensuring seamless connectivity without manual intervention.
Importance of communication protocols
Satellite and cellular alternatives might offer cost benefits but can be unreliable in challenging or remote environments
Each communication protocol comes with specific benefits and limitations. For example, ECS Evenlode's COFDM links provide exceptional robustness but are constrained by the reach of available ground infrastructure.
Conversely, satellite and cellular alternatives might offer cost benefits but can be unreliable in challenging or remote environments.
ECS Connect addresses these issues by dynamically managing and consolidating several networks, ensuring optimal connection based on location, signal strength, and mission necessities.
Adaptable system for airborne platforms
Airborne operations, such as border surveillance and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), increasingly depend on versatile communication systems. ECS Connect meets these needs by offering flexibility and assurance, acting as a managed service that simplifies complex link management.
This reduces the burden on pilots and negates the necessity for additional onboard operators, facilitating a steady stream of intelligence data.
Advancement in data link technology
Highlighting the system's innovation, David Robins, Business Development Director for Data Links at ECS, stated, “ECS Connect represents a significant step forward in data link technology. We’re enabling customers to move beyond single-solution systems towards a smarter, more adaptive approach to airborne and ground-based communication.”
Robins added that ECS Connect is paving the way for a new generation of intelligent, resilient, and reliable data links ready for any mission.
Meeting increasing demand
Ludovic Seixo, Sales Manager at SORRAC, a leading radiocommunication distributor, observed a rising demand for secure, real-time data exchanges between air and ground arenas, driven by the need to bolster situational awareness and border security.
Seixo noted, “ECS Connect will deliver for customers because it brings reliability, flexibility, and automation together to maintain critical communications even in the most demanding operational conditions.”
The introduction of ECS Connect marks a notable progression for ECS, reflecting its transformation from a data link hardware provider to a comprehensive managed connectivity solutions partner. This development is guided by extensive customer feedback and builds on ECS's 30-year history of providing dependable RF technology to defence, security, and public safety organisations.
