Friday, October 17, 2008

N.H.’s Windmill takes a tilt at a military backpack comm system

By Mass High Tech Staff

Windmill International Inc. reports it has been contracted by the U.S. Navy to design and develop a satellite communications unit small enough to fit in a backpack.

Under the deal, the Nashua, N.H.-based company will develop a prototype for what it calls a “global broadcast service rucksack portable receive suite” (RPRS). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The funding was awarded under an existing Navy contract with money allocated from the U.S. Air Force Warfighter Rapid Action Program (WRAP), the company said. WRAP provides rapid transition funding for the development of R&D programs.

The RPRS is intended to be a rugged, compact system that gives soldiers access to high bandwidth intelligence data. Information that could be accessed includes video from unmanned drones, weather, terrain, geospatial and mapping information; FLIR imagery; streaming video and the Internet. The RPRS is planned to weigh 20 pounds or less.

Last year, Windmill participated in the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Acquisition Challenge Program. The program is designed to develop innovative and cost-saving technologies for soldiers on the battlefield quickly and efficiently.

Windmill was founded in 1988. The company provides government acquisition and program management, configuration and data management services, logistics support services, systems test and support engineering, international sales and security assistance, technology innovation and software development.