Tactical Wireless Communications and Networks: Design Concepts and Challenges

5.4 SINCGARS Waveform

The SINCGARS waveform uses a non-IP low bandwidth voice coding format that has been implemented in many legacy tactical radios and is known as the combat net Radio (CNR). SINCGARS also supports low rate data communications. SINCGARS radio terminals come in a variety of forms, including vehicle-mount, backpack, airborne, and handheld.

SINCGARS uses 25 kHz channels in the VHF FM band, from 30 to 87.975 MHz. It has a single frequency and can be configured to operate in a FH mode. This mode hops 111 times a second.

The precursor to SINCGARS was the Vietnam War era radios which were synthesized single frequency radios known as PRC-77 and VRC-12. The early deployments of SINCGARS interoperated with these radios. In aircraft radio, SINCGARS phased out the older tactical air-to-ground radios (ARC-114 and ARC-131). It was the Soviet Union's ability to jam these old radios in Vietnam that pushed the USA to develop spread-spectrum FH radios such as EPLRS, SINCGARS, and Link-16.

Much like Link-16 and EPLRS, the SINCGARS waveform is a great success. There have been over half a million SINCGARS radios deployed for the US and coalition forces since their introduction in the late 1970s. Several system improvements that introduced integrated voice encryption, and additional data modes were added to the waveform implementation over the years. A lightweight handheld model was also introduced.

The radio based combat ID (RBCI) is an important addition to the legacy radios explained ...