December 22, 2004 – ASTi recently shipped fourteen (14) additional DACS platforms to the US Army at Ft. Knox, KY, for use in its Mounted Warfare Testbed (MWTB). The massive ASTi system provides simulated radio and intercom workstations for up to 224 battle lab operators. Operators at each workstation can simultaneously access any combination of communications assets, from a pool of 32 radio nets and 6 “meet me” intercom nets.

ASTi also provided software engineering services to upgrade Ft. Knox’ existing operator interface panels, adding comprehensive dialup intercom capabilities. ASTi developed software which introduces a host of telephone-like features to the system, including: support of up to 1000 dialup extensions, person-to-person calling, conferencing and private calls. ASTi’s dialup intercoms connect operator voice communications over standard IP networks [more info on intercoms].

Ft. Knox also received the latest ASTi Model Builder application software upgrade, which adds a new “Terrain Groups” feature. ASTi’s Terrain Groups allow customers to divide their ASTi simulated communications environment into predefined groups of radios. With regard to terrain interference, radios within a Terrain Group will effectively share the same world position, and experience perfect, lossless reception.

Communication with any radio in a different Terrain Group, however, will result in degraded or lost reception, based on the outside group’s shared world position. This Terrain Groups feature reduces the total number of terrain server queries required to calculate pathloss factors between all member radios of the two groups, thus reducing server load and network traffic.

The Mounted Warfare Testbed operates under the Unit of Action Maneuver Battle Lab (UAMBL) directorate. The UAMBL, a Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) chartered lab, leads the development program for the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) for the Unit of Action. The facility provides a simulated combined arms battlefield environment, with which experimenters can evaluate weapon system concepts, tactics and doctrine.