Curtiss-Wright brings CSfC cryptographic security for vehicle mesh network comms

Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division has expanded its support for truly resilient mesh network-based vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) tactical edge communications with the addition of two-layer Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) encryption to protect critical data. The new PacStar Secure Mesh Command Post (SMCP) is a secure V2V tactical communications solution designed for use in expeditionary environments. It meets growing U.S. DoD demand for secure warfighter mobility and provides secure, encrypted V2V access to classified networks at the very edge of the tactical network. Mesh topologies eliminate the threat of a single point of failure. Unlike hub-and-spoke network architectures, the loss of a single node or access point in a mesh network won’t result in the loss of the entire V2V network. Curtiss-Wright’s PacStar SMCP takes the rapid setup capability of its CSfC-based Secure Wireless Command Post (SWCP) to the next level, expanding access to multiple vehicles and removing single points of failure, to further the DoD objective of command post mobility. Based on the popular PacStar 400-Series family, the highly flexible PacStar SMCP delivers the agility, mobility, and resiliency needed to help realize the U.S. Army’s Command Post Integrated Infrastructure (CPI2) vision for a mobile vehicle-based command post environment. What’s more, the PacStar SMCP is transport agnostic and can support any wired or wireless network transport, including Wi-Fi, millimeter wave, satellite, and 5G cellular, as well as traditional hardwired cabling if desired. The PacStar SMCP leverages the industry-leading PacStar 400-Series, providing a “future-proof” approach for tactical communications survivability that supports both legacy and modern applications. The system’s modularity speeds and simplifies the integration of new capabilities as requirements evolve, without needing to retrofit the core system. Believed to be industry’s first V2V mesh network tactical communications solution to offer secure two-layer encryption, the PacStar SMCP is aligned with the NSA’s CSfC approach. Secure wireless mesh networks (SecMesh) advance the battlefield distribution of data connections. SecMesh enable users to set up a wireless network to connect vehicles, plus a “bubble” to broadcast to end-users. SecMesh technology can mesh vehicles together, establishing multiple east/west bound network connections, along with multiple backhauls in case a vehicle is lost. Users registered with one wireless system can roam between all of the wireless systems on the connected battlefield. PacStar SMCP is a key component of a modern vehicle mounted command post program. This small modular, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) communications package enables remote command post and network support vehicles to communicate with primary command post vehicles over mesh wireless networks. The remote capabilities of PacStar SMCP complements PacStar Secure Wireless Command Posts (SWCP), in use today in U.S. Army PM Tactical Network (PM TN) command posts for wireless. PacStar SMCP provides Central Site encryption, PKI and management services for the entire fleet of connected vehicles. PacStar SMCP uses layered IPsec VPN gateways over meshing radio, enabling the transport of one or more classified and/or unclassified networks between themselves and the Command Post Support Vehicle. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Director of Sales Graham Joss at [email protected]