Mobile infra-red provides secure comms on Type 45

New infra-red short-range mobile comms system has been installed on the HMS Daring, Dauntless and Diamond.

An infra-red short-range mobile communications system from Link Microtek has been installed on the first three of the UK MoD’s fleet of Type 45 Destroyers, providing officers on the bridge with a completely secure and interference-free voice communications facility.

Designed and manufactured by Link Microtek’s Azdec subsidiary, the Infra-Com system offers a versatile and effective communications solution that fully satisfied the MoD’s TEMPEST requirements.

Other than the link from headset to battery pack, the system has no wires and therefore gives operators complete freedom of movement while enabling them to speak to each other or to link into the ship’s main communications system via a central base station.

As Infra-Com does not use radio technology, no-one can listen in or target on emissions from the system.

In addition, its signals are completely immune to electromagnetic interference – even severe energy pulses.

Infra-Com is now fully operational on the bridge of HMS Daring and Dauntless and is undergoing final trials on HMS Diamond.

It will also be installed on HMS Duncan, Dragon and Defender in due course.

Providing multi-channel, full-duplex communications, Infra-Com is a robustly designed system comprising a compact base station, a number of fixed infra-red antennas, a choice of noise attenuating or ultra-lightweight headsets, operators’ belt-mounted battery packs/control units, and a central battery-charger unit.

The system’s low-level infra-red digital encoding technology poses no health hazard even though it is capable of covering areas up to 10,000 square metres.