ITT [ITT] unveiled a new secure smartphone and a system to enhance battlefield situational awareness through a handheld radio set at the Association of the United States Army exposition this week in Washington.
Using the commercially available Android as its base model, ITT added secure processor technology and encryption software to create GhostRider.
GhostRider would provide Army soldiers with secure cell phones that can be operated like a common one on the commercial market, and is less bulky than other secure phones currently fielded, said Richard Takahashi, director of information assurance at ITT’s Communication and Force Protection Systems.
ITT believed keeping the phone’s appearance in line with commercial models was a key aspect of GhostRider “so it doesn’t stand out or bring attention to it,” Takahashi said. The phones can be easily upgraded with new applications as is done commercially, he said.
During the last several years, ITT has supplied Central Command with thousands of tactical radios that use a low orbiting satellite constellation to allow soldiers and commanders to communicate on the battlefield on a secure network.
The handheld RO Tactical Radio provides a range of 100 to 200 miles over-the-horizon communication. The radio also has a global positioning system so operation centers can track the location of the dismounted users.
ITT is now offering a new feature that can be added to the radio to enhance situational awareness. Called the RO-Mobile Awareness Platform, or RO-MAP, the software application provides texting communication while also adding a common operational picture similar to the one seen at the command center.
RO-MAP, which plugs into the radio, takes GPS coordinates and overlays it onto a viewable map, said Dario Valli, ITT’s director of businesses development for commercial wireless solutions.
“It takes it and displays it,” he said.