British Armed Forces communications and information systems The British Armed Forces operates a wide range of communications and information systems . Some of these are specialised military systems , while others are procured off - the - shelf . They fall into three main categories : satellite ground terminals , terrestrial trunk communications systems , and combat net radio systems . Every part of the Army and the uses combat net radio , but only the Royal Corps of Signals and the Royal Air Force operates trunk systems and multi - channel satellite communications . Satellite ground terminals . Satellite ground terminals play an important part in modern military communications , in view of their high bandwidth and their independence of local communications infrastructure . In - service systems . TSC 503 . The TSC is a transportable compact multi - role satellite bridging system manufactured by SELEX Communications . It can be deployed in two forms : the first is a rapid deployable terminal with 2MB / s capability that can be on - air in 30 minutes with a two - man crew . The larger full capability terminal , with a 4M antenna , has much increased capacity and a time - into - action of two hours with a four man crew . Users can be located up to 4 km from the antenna and is one of the most prominent satellite . The terminals are composed of a number of man portable containers . TSC 503 , which entered service in April 2004 , is now no longer in service . PSC 506 . PSC 506 terminals operated as an autonomous network that employed Demand Assigned Multiple Access technology and provided secure speech and secure data . Key elements were Fixed Communications Bases , portable Headquarters Terminals and Patrol Terminals . The system was decommissioned as of 1 January 2012 . TALON . Talon is a lightweight deployable terminal which uses off - the - shelf commercial technology packaged to provide a terminal suitable for military use . The terminal is controlled from a ruggedised laptop and can be set up by a crew of two trained operators within 30 minutes . Talon has been employed by the ARRC ( Allied Rapid Reaction Corps ) in Germany and was used extensively in Operation TELIC in Iraq . Talon terminals were brought into service in July 2002 and were incorporated into the Skynet 5 contract in October 2003 . Each terminal can be carried in a single vehicle , towing the generator mounted on a trailer . REACHER . Reacher is the most recent satellite communications acquisition and comprises the mobile satellite ground terminals that give military ground forces communications access through Skynet 5 satellites . There are two variants in service with the British Army , Royal Air Force and Royal Marines . Reacher Medium is a ruggedised land terminal with a 2 . 4m antenna designed for X - Band military satellite communications . It is designed to operate with a forward deployed headquarters , and is carried on a Bucher Duro 6x6 vehicle with a detachable cabin and towing a trailer . Reacher Large is mounted on the same vehicle as Reacher Medium , but has a 4 . 5 m antenna . Reacher All Terrain is in service with the Royal Marines and is mounted on two BV206 vehicles with associated trailers . All Reacher terminals are transportable using Chinook helicopter s , C130 aircraft , by sea and by rail . The systems are supplied by EADS Astrium subsidiary company Paradigm Secure Communications . No longer in service . VSC 501 . The VSC 501 was a vehicle mounted tactical military satellite terminal Initially operated by 249 Signal Squadron ( AMF ( L ) ) ( disbanded ) and then by 30th Signal Regiment , and the Royal Marines . It operated in the military SHF SATCOM frequency band of 7 . 25 to 8 . 4 GHz via a geosynchronous satellite , with a data rate of up to 512 kbit / s . The normal manning level for an VSC 501 station was a crew of two and the system could be set up to provide communications within 15 minutes . The VSC 501 was the workhorse of the UK tactical military SATCOM system for some years . It was carried in both Land Rover ( Army ) and BV 206 All Terrain Vehicles ( Royal Marines ) . An update package completed in late 1999 extended the life of the terminal for several years . Deployments include the Gulf during Operation GRANBY and Bosnia . TSC 502 . The TSC 502 was a transportable satellite ground terminal . It was used by 30th Signal Regiment on Operation CORPORATE in the Falklands War . DAGGER . Dagger is a Land Rover - mounted modular military and civil band satellite communications system designed for rapid deployment and installed in a hard top Land Rover 110 TD5 . It was supplied by SELEX Communications , and saw service in the Balkans , Afghanistan and on Operation TELIC . PSC 504 . PSC 504 was an X - band military satellite communications system designed to provide Special Forces with a highly secure , reliable , flexible and rapidly deployable manpack SATCOM system . Manpack patrol terminals fit in the top of a standard Bergen rucksack . The terminals could be assembled and connected to the satellite network within five minutes by one soldier , even in darkness , to provide long - range secure voice , data and messaging services , as well as a store and forward ( e - mail - type ) facility . Data services operated at up to 64 kbit / s . Terrestrial Trunk Radio Relay . Terrestrial trunk radio relay systems are primarily used to connect the headquarters of brigade s , divisions and higher military formations . They typically deliver voice and data services , and can be based on boxed or palletized equipment , or vehicle installations ( which may be mounted under armour for use on the battlefield ) . In - service systems . Ptarmigan . Ptarmigan is a mobile , cryptographic digital and modular battlefield wide area network communications system based on the Plessey System 250 architecture . It was initially designed to meet the needs of the British Army of the Rhine in West Germany and replaced the BRUIN system . The system consists of a network of electronic exchanges known as trunk nodes . These nodes are connected by multichannel UHF and SHF radio relay links that carry voice , data , telegraph and facsimile communications . The Single Channel Radio Access subsystem is effectively a VHF secure mobile telephone system that gives isolated or mobile users an entry point into the PTARMIGAN network . Ptarmigan has undergone a number of upgrades since it came into service in 1982 . ( First delivery of Ptarmigan equipment was to 1 Armoured Division HQ and Signal Regiment in December 1984 , and did not enter service until February / March 1985 ) These include the introduction of an Air Portable Secondary Access Node for 16 Air Assault Brigade , and the General Purpose Trunk Access Port software enhancement which provides interconnectivity to other nations ' tactical communications systems . Ptarmigan system design was the result of detailed studies and feasibility trials carried out jointly by the UK MoD , The Royal Corps of Signals and Royal Signals and Radar Establishment ( RSRE ) , the British Army Royal School of Signals and industry . The Plessey Company ( subsequently Siemens Plessey Systems and then BAE Systems ) was appointed prime contractor and system design authority for Ptarmigan in 1973 , with responsibility for engineering development of the complete system . The initial development programme was followed by a series of production contracts worth some £500 million . They covered the provision of the full range of Ptarmigan items from small individual equipments , such as subsets , to major vehicle - mounted installations such as switches and SCRA radio centrals . A major phased enhancement programme to provide high - integrity packet switched data , including mobile X . 25 packet access , international interfacing and the development of equipment for use in armoured vehicles commenced in 1984 and was completed in 1992 . BAE Systems was the appointed design authority for supporting the system throughout its post - design phase . This covers the full range of support services from components and equipment up to network level . During the 1991 Operation Granby , Ptarmigan was deployed extensively throughout the operational area with extended satellite trunk links , and was heavily used by British and Allied forces . The system gained further in - service when deployed in support of the International Peace Implementation Force ( IFOR ) in Bosnia . Total investment in Ptarmigan by mid - 1992 was approaching £1 billion . In August 1993 , a £22 million contract was awarded to modify the system to allow deployment over long distances with satellite links . Cormorant . Cormorant is the area trunk communications network that links the component headquarters of the British Joint Rapid Reaction Force . The system is manufactured by the European EADS company . Cormorant has two basic elements : A Cormorant network can consist of the following installations : FALCON . FALCON will replace Ptarmigan with a new generation tactical trunk communications system , currently being manufactured by BAE Systems Military Air and Information . It will deliver secure voice and data over an all Internet Protocol system across multiple security domains . The system is to be fielded by the Royal Signals and the Royal Air Force in the 2009 - 2013 timeframe . The key platforms will be the Wide Area Switching Provision ( WASP ) nodes with up to six radio links and a series of Command Post Support ( CPS ) nodes which will be scaled for headquarters of differing sizes , further supported by transportable ( palletised ) and early entry nodes . All platforms will utilise the British Army ' s standard MAN HX 60 Cargo Vehicle ( Light ) platform . No longer in service . BRUIN ( obsolete ) . Introduced in 1967 , BRUIN was the Army ' s first area trunk network mounted in both wheeled and tracked vehicles , which connected formation headquarters and units using multi - channel UHF radios . BRUIN provided a partially secure and automatic system for the transmission of both voice and teleprinter traffic . It was the primary trunk communications system of the British Army of the Rhine from 1967 to 1982 . During the years of the Cold War Royal Signals units in 1st British Corps trained with BRUIN , and deployed their equipment and vehicles among the woods and farms of northern West Germany , putting their skills to the test in an annual cycle of command and signal exercises . Combat Net Radio . Combat net radio systems are typically used for tactical communications at section and platoon level upwards . They are operated by soldiers from every part of the Army as well as the specialists from the Royal Corps of Signals . In - service Systems . Bowman . Bowman is the name of the tactical communications system used by the British Armed Forces . The Bowman C4I system consists of a range of HF radio , VHF radio and UHF radio sets designed to provide secure integrated voice , data services to dismounted soldiers , individual vehicles and command HQs up to Division level . No longer in service . Larkspur ( obsolete ) . Larkspur was the combat net radio system used by the British Army in the 1960s and replaced by Clansman in the late 1970s . Clansman ( obsolescent ) . Clansman was the combat net radio system used by the British Army from the late 1970s until its replacement by Bowman .