Spectra launches GENSS production version

Image courtesy Spectra  

GENSS (above) is an Evergreen software-defined tactical communications system shaped by operational experience and designed, engineered and manufactured in the UK. It delivers adaptable, efficient voice and data connectivity for distributed forces, with a system architecture designed to support capability evolution as operational requirements and technologies change.  

First introduced as a concept at the Mobile Deployable Communications conference in London in 2024, the system has since undergone extensive development, testing and refinement in collaboration with specialist user groups to ensure it meets the demands of modern distributed operations. The system has already attracted interest from NATO-aligned users; more news to follow soon.

GENSS extends tactical communications beyond the traditional line-of-sight “bubble”, enabling secure voice and data connectivity across challenging operational environments. The system currently supports secure L-Band tactical satellite networking (L-TAC) and beyond-line-of-sight voice and data communications, while also enabling MANET network extension and bridging to allow mission systems such as ATAK to operate across dispersed units.  

By combining efficient bandwidth usage, adaptive waveform techniques and low-power transmission methods, GENSS enables resilient communications for mobile forces operating in contested or denied environments and is designed to reduce the probability of detection and interception through low-power transmission and adaptive waveform techniques, enhancing its security and operational effectiveness.  

Built as a software-defined system with modular architecture, GENSS is designed to support continuous capability evolution through software development, new waveforms and system integrations. The system builds on Spectra’s heritage in tactical satellite communications, including the widely deployed and award-winning SlingShot system, which enables L-Band satellite access for existing radios. GENSS extends this approach by acting as a network extension and integration system, allowing voice and mission data from multiple tactical systems to be securely distributed across beyond-line-of-sight networks. It has been designed and developed through a collaborative effort of tactical communication experts, seasoned military specialists and top-tier British scientists and engineers.  

GENSS, combined with other Spectra Group products, delivers a robust layered communications network to support mission-critical headquarters and uncrewed systems over the horizon. Being a modular, hardware-agnostic radio system by design, it has proven to be operationally adaptable, providing excellent interoperability through straightforward software reprogramming, allowing it to adapt quickly and easily to diverse user needs. GENSS is backwards compatible with SlingShot and supports efficient L-TAC access and network extension, ensuring easy integration with a wide range of existing tactical radios. GENSS is therefore a robust and agile solution for voice and data transmission across multiple operational environments.  

Simon Davies, Chief Executive at Spectra Group said: “Since leaving the services, my focus has been to help develop communications technology that genuinely supports the needs of the soldier on the ground.

"SlingShot demonstrated how L-Band satellite services could extend the reach of existing radios. GENSS builds on those lessons as a software-defined communications system designed to extend tactical networks and evolve as operational requirements change. I am extremely proud to launch GENSS at the show and to already have a NATO customer in final negotiations for its purchase.”