Over the last several years, autonomous systems have played an increasingly pivotal role in warfighting missions. Autonomous ground vehicles, both manned and unmanned, have traditionally been leveraged in last mile tactical logistics, resupply, casualty evacuation (CASEVAC), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations in battle spaces around the world. Through advancements in decentralized communications technologies, autonomous mission systems are now being deployed to extend the reach of battle-winning communications capabilities to the tactical edge.  

With adversaries leveraging every tool in their arsenal to disrupt, degrade, and deny communications during military operations, there is a growing requirement for hard-to-detect, distributed solutions that provide secure, resilient communications in contested environments. By pairing autonomous ground vehicles with next-generation communications technologies, warfighters are now equipped with the assured communications and situational awareness capabilities required to successfully execute a mission.

goTenna and Forterra Unite Mesh and Autonomy

In a major step towards accelerating the deployment of decentralized situational awareness and resilient communications capabilities to end-users in forward deployed areas of operations, Forterra announced its acquisition of goTenna and its portfolio of tactical mesh networking solutions.  

Through this acquisition, Forterra will leverage goTenna’s mesh networking capabilities to create mobile ad hoc networks through its deployed autonomous ground vehicles. Unlike traditional, mesh communication networks that require expensive, high-bandwidth radios, goTenna’s solutions are low-cost, low-bandwidth, scalable, and hard-to-detect, which is what the future of Forterra’s autonomous technologies will require.  

In future military operations, goTenna’s capabilities will be paired with Forterra’s fleets of self-driving land systems to extend the reach and effectiveness of warfighting communications, as well as facilitating the movement of mission-critical data across the battlespace, even in environments where communication is limited or denied. 

Elevating Warfighter Safety with Resilient Communications 

According to Forterra’s CEO, Josh Araujo, the company’s acquisition of goTenna’s mobile mesh capabilities will enhance the safety and effectiveness of military operations by providing resilient communications to warfighters on the battlefield.

“Forterra is committed to delivering mission end-states and enabling our warfighters and men and women in uniform to accomplish their mission more safely and effectively with technology, and that includes distributed, resilient communication systems,” said Araujo. “By integrating goTenna technology into our platform we’re improving user experience in controlling and interacting with robots in operational environments and eliminating communication concerns, especially in denied environments where traditional systems fall short.”  

goTenna’s President, Ari Schuler, agrees with Araujo that the integration of Forterra and goTenna capabilities will enable warfighters to execute missions more effectively and safely. “This acquisition brings together two mission-driven companies, enabling Forterra’s industry-leading ground autonomy platforms to integrate and deploy goTenna’s best-in-class communications stack,” said Schuler. “goTenna and Forterra are relentlessly driven by a joint desire to deliver advanced capabilities that allow operators to conduct their missions safely and more effectively.” Through its acquisition of goTenna, Forterra’s stack of warfighting solutions and capabilities will go beyond autonomous vehicle platforms and enable the delivery of networks and coordination tools that allow autonomous systems to operate as part of a connected, mission-ready force in contested or disconnected environments. 

To learn more about Forterra’s acquisition of goTenna, click HERE.