Rohde & Schwarz Australia announced on November 9 that the company has completed the first upgrade of multiple transportable air combat towers (TAOT) used by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
The first TOAT device was originally delivered to the service in 2012, and after extensive improvements, it has been launched from Rohde & Schwarz’s system integration facility in Australia.
The company noted that these include modern features such as Internet Protocol (IP)-based voice communication and recording, airport monitoring and control, networking and time synchronization systems. Other enhancements include upgrading to IP radio, enhancing security, providing new interfaces, and new uninterruptible power supplies, air conditioning, and smoke detectors.
As early as 2009, the Australian Department of Defense (DoD) signed a A$26 million contract with Rohde & Schwarz Australia for the purchase of three TAOTs.
“As a major system integrator, we provide the Air Force with TAOT’s impressive capabilities, so we are very proud to continue our relationship and ensure that this capability remains at the forefront of air traffic control technology,” Rohde & Schwarz Australia Said Gareth Evans, the company’s managing director.
“As part of the spiral upgrade plan, TAOT will continue to modernize to ensure capacity and extend its service life to 2030 and beyond,” Evans added.
According to the company, TAOT troops were recently deployed to the RAAF base Scherger in northern Queensland during the biennial 2021 “Talisman Sabre” transnational exercise.
During the “Bush Fire Assistance” operation from the end of 2019 to the beginning of 2020, the TOAT force also supported civilian and military aircraft for long-range firefighting and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) work.
Xiao Wu
