Marines to get upgraded smartphones for close-air support
The Marine Corps announced this fiscal year they’ll receive smartphones for faster, easier and more accurate fire support, the service said in a release.
Forward observers, air controllers and joint terminal attack controllers will receive an upgraded Target Handoff System (THS), which is a portable system designed for use by dismounted Marines to locate targets, pinpoint GPS coordinates and call for close-air support facilitated through secure digital communications. The system includes a laser range finder, video downlink receiver and a combat net radio, according to the Marine Corps, and the upgrade enables forces to more precisely coordinate fire support missions to minimize collateral damage..........
Leveraging commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) smartphones, THS version 2 reduces the entire system weight from about 20 pounds to 10 pounds. Using COTS products eliminates costs involved in investing in proprietary hardware, decreasing the time it takes to equip Marines with new tech, said assistant engineer for THS Matthew Bolen. “With the new commercial products, THS V.2 will be half the price of the previous system, while incorporating the speed of current advancements in handheld technology and encryption,” he noted.
THS V.2 provides embedded, real-time tactical information with ground combat element units down to the squad or platoon level,” Gunnery Sgt. Nicholas Tock, THS operations chief, said. “If we are on patrol and we take contact from machine guns in a tree line, a satellite that passes over once every few hours is not going to help an infantry unit kill that target. THS V.2 is for that close combat.”
“Start Guide is an intuitive app that goes through setup procedures, troubleshooting procedures and many other quick-reference materials,” Chuck Schuster, Marine Corps Systems Command's liaison to the Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center, said regarding the Smart Guide feature that provides step-by-step tutorials. “This is the first time to our knowledge that a feature like this has been pre-installed on a system for Marines.”