All communication systems in one interface onboard KNM Maud
What weighs almost 30.000 tonnes, is ready to travel across the globe and carries, fuel, ordinance, equipment and state of the art hospital facilities? The answer is, the Norwegian Navy’s new support vessel KNM Maud, currently based in Bergen, Norway. She is equipped with the integrated communications system TactiCall from Saab.
The Norwegian Navy’s support ship KNM Maud with its displacement of 27.500 tonnes and an overall length of 183 meters is by far the largest navy vessel in any of the Nordic countries. The large deck crane means that it is not dependent on dock cranes to transfer cargo, and the two massive so called “Replenishment at sea rigs” can transfer fuel to other ships while cruising in open sea. Two NH 90 helicopters (or indeed any other naval NATO helicopter) can be operated using the helipad and hangar in the aft of the ship.
KNM Maud is state of the art in every way, including its communication equipment. Its primary mission is to support Norwegian and Nato navy vessels with fuel, supplies, medical services and everything else needed to complete military or humanitarian missions, so communication is key.
Navy operations often consist of joint setups. Task or coalition force operations, including other military arms. SOF teams, air force, marine detachments and even civil and NGO agencies can be important players in the operation. More often than not, this setup includes a multitude of different frequency bands, networks and radio equipment.
TactiCall integrates all these into one simple and easy to use solution that lets everybody reach each other, regardless of equipment used. TactiCall allows key features for modern day operations like secure voice separation with mulitple levels of security and radio remote control. Utilizing this functionality Government or task force commanders are able to communicate directly with whoever needs to be addressed – facilitating a much smoother and more rapid “Statement of No Objections” chain for example.
"This is the first time I work on a ship where all necessary communication needed in any situation, from mobile phones to HF radios can be operated from a single console," says Commander and ship’s captain Thorvald Dahll. "Having access to an integrated communications solution on board this ship is a strength. We can also use encrypted connections on separate nets. To know your communication is secure and to be able to use encryption on the same system, on the same terminals is excellent."