BRASS, BRE1TA

The Thales solution for the new dawn of Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) communication

We can provide you with a comprehensive single-source solution that includes the communications system and extensive service package.

NATO provides naval forces with a network of HF shore stations providing coverage for HF radio communication services around the globe. A key enabler in the success of this network is the adherence to the standards and system specifications defined by NATO through programmes such as BRASS (Broadcast and Ship Shore).

The early phases of BRASS provided high reliability HF broadcast services to naval forces, as well as providing access points for the error-free automated delivery of messages from ship to shore using the now well-known HF standard, STANAG 5066. 

The latest BRASS Enhancement 1 Target Architecture (BRE1TA) defines improvements to the architecture enabling HF shore stations and the naval forces they serve to take advantage of the latest advances in HF technology with particular emphasis on the provision of IP connectivity. Further enhancements, currently being specified, are expected to deliver new high data rate NATO HF services making use of the latest wideband and multichannel HF waveforms, which will enable a 10-fold increase in the data rates achievable over HF. 

Thales HF shore station solutions implement the full range of standards required by the various phases of BRASS. Thales understands the need for the HF shore access points to serve the needs of different navies with varying HF capabilities ranging from the minimum required under BRASS, right through to state-of-the-art. 

Thales also understands that the interoperability that enables the BRASS shore network to service its customers, the naval forces, is about more than just achieving compliance with standards but crucially depends upon developing and maintaining end-to-end system configurations that provide compatibility between the shore stations and the naval platforms that they serve.

Our long heritage in naval HF communications means we are ideally placed to understand the needs of the naval users and the huge importance they place on the provision of a robust, resilient and interoperable HF shore infrastructure which is available around the clock.

Thales is able to source all the key components of a BRASS/BRE1TA system from its HF product line, supplemented with products from its wide range of partners and suppliers as required, to provide a complete HF shore solution.

Looking to the future, Thales HF equipment implements the latest HF standards including wideband HF with a roadmap to multi-channel HF, providing its systems with in-built capacity to evolve to meet future BRASS enhancements without the need for wholesale replacement of expensive equipment such as HF radios and high power amplifiers.