SlingShot™ selected
for AEWE 2019

SlingShot is part of the 2019 US Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiments.

AEWE 2019 is designed to integrate into the US Army a number of specifically selected Industry technologies, which have been identified as future battlefield capability shortfalls.

AEWE planning was conducted throughout 2018 and culminates in an Army War Gaming Force on Force (FoF) exercise in Mar 19.

SlingShot selected for participation in AEWE 2019

SlingShot was specifically selected for participation in AEWE 2019, having been requested by the TRADOC Capabilities Manager (TCM) Mission Command and TCM Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) at the Maneuver Centre of Excellence (MCoE) based in Fort Benning.

The exercise will consist of military forces conducting a number of different operational scenarios during which they will utilize various industry technologies, one of which being SlingShot. It will be used in an operations room, vehicle and manpack role.

AEWE is focused on six key objectives:

1. How to enable small units to conduct joint combined arms air-ground maneuvers to defeat enemy organizations and accomplish missions in complex operational environments.
2. How can Maneuver Support capabilities further enable the Maneuver Force.
3. How do fires forces enable small units to execute joint combined arms air-ground maneuver to defeat enemy organizations and accomplish mission.
4. How to provide the capability to extend endurance and operational reach, increase operational readiness, reduce demand, and execute responsive sustainment to widely dispersed units.
5. How can the Army engineer the tactical network to reduce user complexity, improve capacity, increase resiliency, maximize bandwidth efficiency, enable dynamic reconfiguration, improve cybersecurity, while becoming expeditionary.
6. How does the intelligence enterprise improve and facilitate the processing, exploiting, and dissemination of intelligence products in order to provide the Commander with situational understanding while operating in a complex environment.

The active trial of SlingShot will be for BLOS, Communications on the Move (COTM), interoperability from a HMMWV traveling at speed, utilizing a SlingShot vehicle system connected to a military in-service UHF radio.

Communications are also to be achieved throughout the extensive Ft Benning training area where LOS (Line of Sight) is difficult, and also over larger distances, potentially many hundreds of miles more if required.

Proving SlingShot’s Interoperability

Evaluating SlingShot’s Interoperability capabilities will be done by attempting communications between a VHF vehicle system, utilising a lower powered commercial radio,  to a UHF military manpack system connected to an in-service military radio.

Negating the need for hill top repeater sites

During the trials, SlingShot aims to negate the requirement for hill top repeater sites to extend radio communications and the associated manning; provision of power, force protection and resupply, by demonstrating its ability to communicate at extended BLOS ranges in tactical situations when other LOS communications systems have failed.

Interoperability is a vital necessity between different Coalition communications systems. SlingShot will deploy in a number of operationally challenging scenarios requiring BLOS COTM, whilst employing different military UHF/VHF radio systems and VHF commercial systems.

Although aircraft and maritime assets are not available for AEWE 2019, SlingShot will be utilized in operationally challenging situations involved in manpack and vehicle roles.  SlingShot is also able to provide BLOS COTM and Interoperability on fixed/rotary wing aircraft and maritime platforms.