L3Harris Australia unveils ITAR-free tactical router
Defence company L3Harris Australia has unveiled its new Netcaster tactical router, a wholly Australian-developed networking system, of interest to the Australian Defence Force, the US military and many others.
Significantly, Netcaster is not-ITAR, which means it can be marketed without the US restrictions on sale of sensitive technology.
Faisal Munir, L3Harris Vice President for International Tactical Communications, said this was a capability sought by their customers around the world.
“What they are feeling the pressure of is how does anybody understand how to rout traffic the most optimal way through a network when you have five different media in a vehicle and you also have five different applications,” he told reporters the MilCIS conference in Canberra.
“Netcaster is a solution to that. Being software, it allows us to evolve this capability with our customer. It is not a one-time product that has no additional life.”
L3Harris Australia Tactical Communications is a subsidiary of the US parent L3Harris. The company’s tactical radios and other communications are widely used across the Australian Defence Force, US military and in Europe.
Netcaster – which stands for Network Control and Service Translation Enhanced Router – is designed to integrate into existing communications military networks, optimising performance and even suggesting better pathways.
It can be configured to give priority to certain applications. For example, an air defence system requires immediate communications, while basic logistic resupply may not.
It was developed to meet requirements of Australian project Land 4140. Launched in June 2022, the project aims to modernise Army command, control and communications.
L3Harris Communications Australia general manager Andrew Rushbrook said Land 4140 may have been the genesis of this system.
“But because we have developed this internally and it is non-ITAR, we have very much an eye on exportability into other countries,” he said.
“We see a need for this. The battlefield complexity, particularly with regard to resilient communications (means) you will be left behind without a form of this function helping you. It is too much now for the human to do this.”
DTC begins BluSDR-6 production
In another MilCIS announcement, Australian defence communications company DTC, part of Codan, has initiated Australian production of its latest advanced drone radio technology, BluSDR-6, now recognised as Ukraine’s preferred drone communications system.
Ukraine ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said Ukraine’s experience on the battlefield had shown what was possible when innovation met necessity.
“The technologies tested and deployed in Ukraine, including systems like the BluSDR, are redefining modern warfare,” he said.
“By producing combat-proven systems here, Australia and Ukraine are building stronger, more resilient defence industries together. We are proud to see this expertise now supporting Australia’s sovereign defence capability."
Codan chief executive officer Alf Ianniello said this technology has been battle-proven in the toughest electronic warfare conditions on earth.
“By bringing production of the BluSDR-6 model to our advanced engineering and manufacturing hub in South Australia, we are strengthening Australia’s sovereign capability while de-risking its global supply chain and meeting surging international demand.”
Australian UAS company SYPAQ Systems has selected the BluSDR-6 and Codan’s Sentry 6161 radio, both manufactured in South Australia, for delivery to the ADF under the Land 129 UAV project.
“These locally produced radios give Australia a guaranteed, sovereign source of world-leading mesh MANET communications,” said SYPAQ Systems Managing Director Amanda Holt.