Silvus Technologies wins DARPA wireless communications prototype contract
Silvus Technologies has announced that it has been awarded a DARPA contract for prototype development for Phase I of the Fixed Wireless at a Distance programme.
Silvus is being sponsored by the Air Force Research Lab for the project, and the contract value for Phase I including options is $1 million.
The company is drawing on its experience in developing advanced multi-input multi-output (MIMO) wireless technology, and subcontractors to Silvus are BAE Systems and Alcatel Lucent Bell Labs acting through LGS Innovations.
‘Current military communication systems have limited ability to support mobile, distributed operations in remote geographic areas due to the small size of networks and relatively short range of individual military radios,’ a statement released by the company said. ‘The Fixed Wireless at a Distance program seeks to enable pervasive, high-throughput military communications to geographically dispersed forces using a mobility backbone infrastructure that provides unlimited scalability for high-speed communication for warfighters.’
In response to this requirement Silvus will deliver a ‘fully self-organizing and highly-scalable communications solution’, while ‘advanced MIMO techniques and proprietary Media Access Control (MAC) protocols will be exploited to seamlessly scale from as few as 10 distributed antennas to as many as 100 antennas, or more.
‘The resulting deliverable will be a distributed multi-antenna communication system that delivers performance on par with that of a centralized multi-antenna system.’
Phillip Duncan, Silvus’ COO and VP of business development, commented: ‘We are delighted to have an opportunity to work with DARPA and our partners Alcatel Lucent Bell Labs and BAE to bring next-generation technology one step closer to the reality.
‘With years of experience developing MIMO technologies for military and commercial applications, Silvus is uniquely positioned to leverage its expertise to bring a much needed capability to the warfighter.’
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![How digital systems are transforming the battlefield (video)]()
How digital systems are transforming the battlefield (video)
Timo Haas, CEO of Rheinmetall's Digital Systems Division, explains how digitalisation is reshaping modern warfare and highlights the technologies the company is showcasing at Eurosatory 2026.
-
![Artificial intelligence: the hope, the hype and the real-world reality]()
Artificial intelligence: the hope, the hype and the real-world reality
Artificial intelligence has supported C2 systems and decision-making for more than two decades. It has gradually built up a head of steam in the 2020s, but what is it achieving today and what role could it play in the future?
-
![SOF Week 2026: How SOF Teams Are Powering Radios, Drones and Battlefield Networks (video)]()
SOF Week 2026: How SOF Teams Are Powering Radios, Drones and Battlefield Networks (video)
At SOF Week 2026, Sean O’Neill, Senior Business Development Manager with Iris Technology, discusses the growing importance of tactical power management systems for modern military operations.
-
![SOF Week 2026: How SOF Operators Are Driving the Future of Battlefield Communications (video)]()
SOF Week 2026: How SOF Operators Are Driving the Future of Battlefield Communications (video)
At SOF Week 2026, Austin Farnham, President of Octane Wireless, discusses how direct feedback from special operations forces is helping shape the next generation of battlefield communications technology.
-
![World Defense Show 2026: Northrop Grumman to present improved C2 management system]()
World Defense Show 2026: Northrop Grumman to present improved C2 management system
The Northrop Grumman Integrated Battle Command System is in service with Poland and the US Army with another 20 countries believed to have expressed an interest.
-
![Thales looks to boost DigitalCrew system through AI and human-machine teaming trials]()
Thales looks to boost DigitalCrew system through AI and human-machine teaming trials
The Thales DigitalCrew package, first unveiled at last year’s Defence IQ International Armoured Vehicles conference, is designed to merge imaging and apply a layer of decision-making and observation algorithms to support crew and other personnel.
