At the AUSA 2014 event in Washington DC, Finmeccanica – Selex ES unveiled its new Rapid Action Mission Mast (RAMM) tactical communications product. RAMM is a compact, rapidly deployable communications mast with integrated antennas designed to provide front-line forces with long range line-of-sight communications.

The RAMM has been jointly developed in conjunction with Rolatube Expeditionary Systems (REX) and makes use of REX’s Rolatube mast technology which has been proven in-service in the US and UK. The design uses thermoplastic reinforced composites for the mast with antennas embedded within, protecting the antennas from the environment without sacrificing speed of deployment. The result is a highly compact and rapidly-deployable mast that can be erected and dismounted in 2 minutes. The height of the mast provides a clear field of view for tactical communications and interoperates easily with soldier radio systems.

The RAMM product family includes a tactical VHF (30-108MHz) antenna integrated within a mast, a tactical UHF (225-512MHz) antenna integrated within a mast and a dual band tactical VHF and UHF (30-108MHz and 225-512MHz) combined within a single mast. All variants are environmentally qualified to Military Standard 810-G.

An optional L-band antenna can also be integrated into the top cap of the mast and HF wire antennas can be attached between two masts.

The RAMM is currently being exhibited at AUSA (13-15 October 2014, Washington D.C., U.S.A.) on the Rolatube Expeditionary Systems (REX) stand (STAND 1706, HALL B).