New signal equipment to aid deployed troops

The 82nd Airborne Division introduced a new piece of equipment that will allow deployed paratroopers access to information services not normally available in an isolated environment.
Paratroopers from the 82nd Signal Battalion were taught to use TYQ-127, a new satellite communications device, in a two-week course at the Joint Task Force Compound earlier this month.
The TYQ-127 is a mix of U.S. Army cryptological, commercial and new equipment designed by General Dynamics, said Chief Warrant Officer Carlo N. Brown, network technician, 82nd Signal Bn.
“It’s like a pipe,” said Chief Warrant Officer Ivory Torbert, “the bigger the pipe, the more water that can move through it. In our case, the better the data package, the more information that we can send out.”
Paratroopers using the equipment will be able to access a satellite link for Fort Bragg electronic communications, accessing the phone switch network, non-secure Internet and secure Internet sites from anywhere in the world.
Most of the parts ordered while deployed are transmitted via the non-secure Internet. With a quicker, more responsive system, paratroopers can get their parts and supplies sooner.
The secure Internet is used to transmit tactical information as well as communicate via e-mail, an the new
system allows for speedier communication, providing a faster response time, said Sgt. 1st Class John Irby, noncommissioned officer in charge, 82nd Signal Bn.
With the division’s 18-hour no-notice response mission, speed is always a factor, he explained.
“The TYQ-127 is a rapid deployment piece of equipment,” Irby said. “We can get more benefits using less equipment and manpower than we could before.”
“It used to take several vehicles and a lot of manpower to do this, but,” he said, “now a handful of paratroopers and one truck can move the equipment that we need.
The new data packages will provide the division with greater amounts of data and data services during wartime, said Irby.
“As soon as it is up and running, the data packages will allow commanders to watch real-time footage of what is happening in the field,” said Spc. John Baker, electronic maintainer, 82nd Signal Bn.
The training, conducted by General Dynamics, is normally a 30-day course, but Fort Bragg paratroopers were able to complete the training in two weeks, said Brown.
The first week of training was in the classroom, he explained, where the paratroopers learned the capabilities of the satellite system and how to maintain and employ their equipment in the field.
The second week provided Soldiers the opportunity to tactically apply the knowledge they learned during their classroom instruction.
“We received the equipment in January while we were in Iraq,” said Torbert, “but we weren’t able to get our Soldiers trained on it until now.”
The TYQ-127 will provide the signal battalion with more options and advantages when deployed, said Brown.
The equipment will also enable deployed troops to call home and talk with their loved ones, said Brown. Soldiers will also have the ability to check their e-mail and “surf the Web,” he added.

http://www.paraglideonline.net/archive/2004/7-15-04/index.shtml

Information is sparse right now, but it (AN/TYQ-127) appears to be built on the General Dynamics ReadySET™ System.  http://www.gdc4s.com/

http://www.gdds.com/readyset/download/readyset8-21.pdf

I'm still trying to figure out what the hell this is exactly.....

CAL,

Picture a combined voice and data switch in a box.  It has most of the capabilities of the Forced Entry Switch in a couple of transit cases.  The transmission system will depend on what is available.  After reading this article I started researching it with General Dynamics to brief my boss.  The 1st Cav is always interested in the high-speed toys.

Abn1SG50S

 There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy. - George Washington

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