Bowman (communications system)
Bowman is the name of the tactical communications system used by the British Armed Forces.
The Bowman
Bowman replaced the Clansman series of radios. As of 2016, the MoD publicised plans to replace Bowman with a system named Morpheus.[2]
Procurement history
The concept of Bowman dates from a 1989 UK MoD General Staff Requirement (GSR) for a system to replace the ageing Clansman radio system. The GSR was subsequently modified to accommodate post Cold War scenarios.
The procurement had a long and chequered history, with a number of consortia involved in the development and bidding process. This process culminated in the failure in 2000 of the preferred bidder, Archer, to deliver the requirement within budget and on time, and the resultant cessation of the contract by the UK MoD. The subsequent rebidding process for the contract was won by CDC Systems UK Ltd, once a subsidiary of Computing Devices Canada (CDC), now General Dynamics United Kingdom Ltd as prime contractor.
The resultant system was based on some aspects of CDC's
Bowman’s initial operating capability was delivered into service in March 2004, it was fully rolled out across the Armed Forces by the end of 2008 and is expected to continue in service until approximately 2026.
System overview
Bowman provides a tactical voice and data communications system for joint operations across the
The procurement and support of Bowman is led by the Tactical Systems (TacSys) delivery team, for many years within
Equipment
Nominally the lowest deployed part of the Bowman series of radios is that provided by
Models are designated "UK/PRC", which stands for "United Kingdom / Portable Radio Communications", or "UK/VRC", which is "United Kingdom / Vehicle Radio Communications". Following this logic "UK/ARC" stands for "United Kingdom / Airborne Radio Communications".
VHF radios
- VPT - a UK Type 1 (Pritchel) encrypted section to platoon-level UK/PRC354 5W VHF Portable Transceiver (VPT)
- ADR+ - an enhanced and improved 'Bowmanised' version of ITT Corporation's company/squadron-level SINCGARS (Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System) frequency-hoppingradio with a 30-87.975 MHz frequency range. Depending on its configuration, the ADR+ is variously designated UK/PRC355 (5 W manpack), UK/PRC356 (16 W ground-role manpack), UK/VRC357 (16 W vehicle clip-in radio), UK/VRC358 (16 W low-power vehicle radio), or UK/VRC359 (50 W vehicle-mounted high-power radio).
The manpack version of the ADR+ has an Automatic Situational Awareness Module inserted in BCIP 5.2 which enables Own Station Position Reports to be broadcast without the presence of an associated computer.
Under the terms of the baseline contract, ITT Defence delivered some 26,000 ADR+ radios and 8,000 VPTs, complemented by 580 examples of the UK/ARC341 VHF aircraft role radio (a derivative of the company's SINCGARS AN/ARC-201D airborne transceiver) for helicopter platforms.
HF radios
The Bowman HF frequency-hopping radios, of which 10,800 examples were supplied is designated UK/PRC325 in its basic 20 W manpack form and UK/VRC328/9 in its 100 W high-power and co-sited vehicular configurations. Essentially a UK equivalent of the US AN/PRC-150, it has had the proprietary Harris Citadel encryption from the original RF-5800H replaced with UK Type 1 (Pritchel) encryption and frequency hopping waveform. The Falcon II's original dual-band HF/VHF frequency range (1.6-60 MHz) has been narrowed to the 1.6-30 MHz (HF) band.
HCDR
The top tier in the Bowman series of radios is provided by the
Ancillary equipment
Provision of the associated User Data Terminal (UDT) for vehicular and static use was contracted to DRS Tactical Systems Inc, which also produces the Bowman Management Data Terminal (BMDT) for network management, the Vehicle User Data Terminal (VUDT) with keyboard and touchscreen for use on the move, the Staff User Data Terminal (SUDT) for command centres, and the PBISA Processing Unit (PBPU) for Challenger 2 tanks.
Since the start of the programme, the capabilities of the UDTs (based on 700 MHz
Responsibility for the supply of Bowman audio ancillaries, including the stereo staff-user headset, noise-cancelling general-purpose handset, and loudspeaker unit, was vested in Selex ES, which also provided the lightweight headset, respirator adapter, and remote pressel switch associated with the PRR.
Racal (now Thales Group) provided antennas for the Bowman contract. These include HF Wire/Vehicle, VHF Vehicle/Elevated, VHF Ground Spike, 5.4 metre GRP Mast and UHF Vehicle/Elevated Antennas. Additional antennas supplied as part of the Bowman contract are the man-pack antennas, which are supplied together with the matching unit by MGS Precision, based in Stone, Staffordshire.
BISAs
Bowman also consists of a number of specifically designed Battlefield Information System Applications running over the Bowman infrastructure. The UDTs (User Data Terminals) are currently limited to supporting a maximum of two BISAs simultaneously, due to the performance limitations of the UDTs. ComBAT, produced by GDC4S in the US, the main
Controversy
When Bowman was first introduced into service, the system was said to contain many faults to the extent that troops dubbed Bowman "Better Off With Map And Nokia".[5]
The programme came under scrutiny following a National Audit Office accountability hearing for the government's procurement policy and was generally considered to be a success considering the complexity and changing needs of the UK Armed Forces.[6]
A 2007 report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee was overwhelmingly critical of the entire system and its procurement.[7] The report itself was split into four sections entitled: "programme governance arrangements were not fit for purpose", "initial decisions were not well informed", "through life costs were not rigorously assessed", and "operational benefits are limited".
As Bowman was being phased into service, senior officers in the British Army had serious reservations about the system, especially as many of their initial design specifications and feedback had not been adequately incorporated by the
All the rumours you've heard. It is as bad as you've heard. But we have been told that, politically, we have got to make it work. Now you guys will have to go out and find a way of making it work.
— Brigadier Jamie Balfour[8]
Other complaints were brought up by the
In December 2008 and January 2009, Bowman was withdrawn from the
Future replacement
In 2016, the MoD publicised plans to replace Bowman with a system named Morpheus. Morpheus "will deliver the next generation of Tactical Communication and Information Systems (TacCIS) capability. It will address critical system obsolescence and introduce a more agile TacCIS solution (both technical and business)."[2]
References
- ^ "Latest Bowman gets set for front line delivery" (PDF). DESider. No. 60. Ministry of Defence. May 2013. p. 10.
- ^ a b "Morpheus Project: next generation tactical communication information systems for defence". Ministry of Defence. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ "General Dynamics UK celebrates Bowman's 10th anniversary at DSEi 2011". General Dynamics UK. 14 September 2011. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ "SDT 500 Secure Data Transceiver specifications" (PDF). MASS. Cohort plc. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 November 2013.
- ^ Page, Lewis (5 February 2007). "UK makes complete FIST of hi-tech soldiering". The Register. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ National Audit Office (25 July 2006). Ministry of Defence. Delivering digital tactical communications through the Bowman CIP programme (Report). London, UK: The Stationery Office. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts (8 March 2007). Ministry of Defence. Delivering digital tactical communications through the Bowman CIP programme (Report). London, UK: The Stationery Office.
- ^ a b Smith, Michael (4 January 2005). "£1.9 bn portable radio system gets a poor reception from Army". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Select Committee on Defence (February 2005). "Written Evidence: IS and Communications Systems". House of Commons.
- ^ "OK Here we go Inf views on BOWMAN??". Army Rumour Service. 2006. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ "Unknown". TAQ. Ministry of Defence. December 2008.
External links
- "Tactical Communications". British Army. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014.
- "FactSheet: Bowman". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012.
- Page, Lewis (8 March 2007). "MPs: UK defence project was crap - Bowman skewered". The Register.
- "Bowman radio to be upgraded to BCIP5". Ministry of Defence. 13 May 2009. Archived from the original on 24 December 2009.