TACTICAL Security
Tactical Core Network
System (TCNS)
Always Connected.
Across Multi-Domain Operations.
From the Soldier to the Cloud.
THE TACTICAL NETWORKING CHALLENGE
The Demands
of Modern Operations
Modern armed forces depend on digital connectivity, yet tactical networks must operate under constant movement, disruption and cyber threat. Multiple communication bearers, fragmented solutions and manual configurations make it difficult to maintain secure, resilient communications at scale.
Fighting Through Disruption
Communications must work even when actively targeted by jamming, cyber attacks and electronic warfare.
Keeping Pace
with Manoeuvre
Highly mobile forces need
networks that move with them, adapting instantly as units advance and reconfigure.
Connecting
the Joint Force
Despite different systems,
standards and security requirements, coalition partners must be able to operate as one.
Scaling Without Complexity
From small units to large-scale operations, networks must scale seamlessly without adding complexity or compromising performance.
Securing Without
Slowing Down
Strong security is essential,
but it must be delivered without adding friction or limiting operational effectiveness.
Fighting Through Disruption
Communications must work even when actively targeted by jamming, cyber attacks and electronic warfare.
Keeping Pace
with Manoeuvre
Highly mobile forces need
networks that move with them, adapting instantly as units advance and reconfigure.
Connecting
the Joint Force
Despite different systems,
standards and security requirements coalition partners must be able to operate as one.
Scaling Without Complexity
From small units to large-scale-operations, networks must scale seamlessly without adding complexity or compromising performance.
Securing Without
Slowing Down
Strong security is essential,
but it must be delivered without adding friction or limiting operational effectiveness.
Fighting Through Disruption
Communications must work even when actively targeted by jamming, cyber attacks and electronic warfare.
Keeping Pace
with Manoeuvre
Highly mobile forces need networks that move with them, adapting instantly as units advance and reconfigure.
Connecting
the Joint Force
Despite different systems, standards and security requirements coalition partners must be able to operate as one.
Scaling Without Complexity
From small units to large-scale-operations, networks must scale seamlessly without adding complexity or compromising performance.
Securing Without
Slowing Down
Strong security is essential, but it must be delivered without adding friction or limiting operational effectiveness.
WHAT IS CLAVISTER TCNS?
Clavister TCNS is the tactical core network foundation for modern armed forces – delivering secure, resilient connectivity across tactical radios, SATCOM, mobile networks and fixed infrastructure. Engineered for contested and degraded environments, Clavister TCNS enables scalable tactical communications from the edge to higher echelons, while providing a standardised solution that can be deployed, expanded and sustained throughout long-term defence programmes.
THE EVOLUTION OF TACTICAL NETWORKING
Clavister TCNS
vs Traditional Approaches
Traditional tactical networks were not designed for today’s demands of mobility, scale and multi-domain operations. As missions become more dynamic and coalition-driven, these legacy approaches reveal clear limitations. This comparison highlights how Clavister TCNS addresses these constraints with a modern, software-defined approach designed to deliver greater flexibility, resilience and operational effectiveness.
CLAVISTER TCNS | TRADITIONAL SOLUTIONS |
|
|---|---|---|
| Scalability | Scales beyond >10,000 nodes. | Restricted to small formations. |
| Multi-Domain | Unified solution across land, air, sea, space and cyber. | Each domain runs its own isolated infrastructure, preventing efficient collaboration. |
| NATO Interoperability | Built to natively align with NATO FMN principles. | Requires redesign of networks and architecture. |
| Link Support | Designed to support any tactical radio, public and private 4G/5G networks, SATCOM, Direct-Line-of-Sight links, WiFi networks, cabled Ethernet etc. | Limited to vendor-specific tactical radios. |
| BMS and Application Support | Supports virtually all Battle Management Systems and all IP-based applications. | Strictly tied to a few BMS:s and applications. |
| Security | Security built-in by design, with no penalty on operational effectiveness. | Added as an after-thought, creating complexity and overhead. |
CLAVISTER | TRADITIONAL |
|---|---|
| Scalability: Scales to 10,000+ nodes. | Scalability: Restricted to small formations. |
| Multi-Domain: Unified solution across land, air, sea, space and cyber. | Multi-Domain: Each domain runs its own isolated infrastructure, preventing efficient collaboration. |
| NATO Interoperability: Built to natively align with NATO FMN principles. | NATO Interoperability: Requires redesign of networks and architecture. |
| Link Support: Designed to support any tactical radio, public and private 4G/5G networks, SATCOM, Direct-Line-of-Sight links, WiFi networks, cabled Ethernet etc. | Link Support: Limited to vendor-specific tactical radios. |
| BMS and Application Support: Supports virtually all Battle Management Systems and all IP-based applications. | BMS and Application Support: Strictly tied to a few BMS:s and applications. |
| Security: Security built-in by design, with no penalty on operational effectiveness. | Security: Added as an after-thought, creating complexity and overhead. |
CLAVISTER |
|---|
| Scalability: Scales to 10,000+ nodes. |
| Multi-Domain: Unified solution across land, air, sea, space and cyber. |
| NATO Interoperability: Built to natively align with NATO FMN principles. |
| Link Support: Designed to support any tactical radio, public and private 4G/5G networks, SATCOM, Direct-Line-of-Sight links, WiFi networks, cabled Ethernet etc. |
| BMS and Application Support: Supports virtually all Battle Management Systems and all IP-based applications. |
| Security: Security built-in by design, with no penalty on operational effectiveness. |
TRADITIONAL |
|---|
| Scalability: Restricted to small formations. |
| Multi-Domain: Each domain runs its own isolated infrastructure, preventing efficient collaboration. |
| NATO Interoperability: Requires redesign of networks and architecture. |
| Link Support: Limited to vendor-specific tactical radios. |
| BMS and Application Support: Strictly tied to a few BMS:s and applications. |
| Security: Added as an after-thought, creating complexity and overhead. |
Operational Benefits
A Tactical Network
for Force-Wide Operations
Modern armed forces require networks that are resilient, scalable and built for joint operations. These operational benefits demonstrate how Clavister TCNS helps forces connect, coordinate and operate effectively across domains, echelons and coalition environments.
Multi-Domain
Operation
Enables armed forces to operate as a unified force across land, air, sea, space and cyber. Supports manoeuvre operations, coordination with airborne assets, and connectivity for maritime task groups, maintaining secure networking under mobility, disruption, and contested conditions.
Force-Wide
Deployment
Deployable across the full force structure – from headquarters and command posts to vehicles, ships, airborne platforms, and dismounted units. The same network operates consistently across all echelons and environments, including data centres and cloud, providing a unified foundation from strategic to tactical levels.
NATO
Interoperability
Aligns with NATO FMN principles, enabling interoperability with NATO and coalition partners. Supports secure, governed connectivity to mission partner networks while maintaining national control over policies and security, helping forces to integrate quickly and communicate reliably in joint operations.
Nation-Wide
Scalability
Scales beyond 10,000 nodes by linking smaller tactical networks into a larger, cohesive system. This allows forces to grow from unit-level deployments to nation-wide operations without needing to redesign the overall architecture, supporting long-term expansion and predictable network evolution.
DEPLOYMENT FLEXIBILITY
Your Choice of
Hardware Platforms
Deploy on the hardware that best fits your mission. Clavister TCNS runs across a wide range of hardware platforms – from dismounted soldier hardware, vehicle computers and tactical hardware to ruggedised servers and battle cloud virtual platforms. This gives you the flexibility to adapt to different environments, performance needs, and existing infrastructure without compromise.
Off-the-Shelf
Hardware Platforms
Together with our technology partner Akkodis, we provide a complete portfolio of ready-made, off-the-shelf, tactical hardware platforms.
Integration
on Your Hardware
Clavister TCNS can be integrated and deployed on custom hardware platforms to meet specific operational, technical or national requirements.
CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS
Wide Range of
Communication Bearers
Clavister TCNS can operate across virtually all types of communication bearers, from tactical radios and SATCOM to 4G/5G networks and other mission-relevant links. The system maintains continuous connectivity by dynamically using multiple communication bearers in parallel. If one link is disrupted or degraded, traffic is automatically rerouted over available paths, enabling a self-healing network that adapts in real time to changing conditions. Currently, Clavister TCNS supports the following types of communication bearers:
4G/5G
ISP
SATCOM
MESH NETWORKS
RADIO LINKS
TACTICAL RADIO
*Availability of a specific bearer is subject to the choice of hardware platform. Additional communication carriers can be added through a limited integration project.
operational scenarios
One Joint Solution
Modern missions place diverse and evolving demands on tactical communications. Clavister TCNS brings these needs together in one unified, resilient solution, supporting forces across different environments, roles and phases of operation – ensuring connectivity where and when it matters most.
Always
Connected
Maintain connectivity across changing operational conditions by combining multiple communication bearers and automatically rerouting traffic when
links are degraded or disrupted.
Nationwide
Communications
Enable secure and reliable communications across all levels, supporting operations in both static and tactical domains – from the soldier to the cloud.
Inter-
operability
FMN compliant interoperability between NATO forces, enabling joint operations across different units, systems and mission environments.
Global
Access
Secure and covert access from anywhere on the globe using public networks, such as 45/5G, SATCOM and the Internet.
Key Capabilities
Central Management with Operational Simplicity
Clavister TCNS is centrally managed and provisioned to streamline nation-wide
deployments. Standardised profiles and role-based access control support predictable deployments across
multiple units and echelons. This reduces operational burden while keeping execution distributed. This helps armed forces manage large tactical networks consistently without adding unnecessary complexity.
Clavister TCNS is centrally managed and provisioned to streamline nation-wide deployments. Standardised profiles and role-based access control support predictable deployments across multiple units and echelons. Reduce operational burden while keeping execution distributed. This helps armed forces manage large tactical networks consistently without adding unnecessary complexity.
Encryption Without Sacrificing Performance
Clavister TCNS delivers end-to-end encryption across the tactical network, securing communications from the edge to higher echelons without compromising operational performance. Built on high-assurance IPsec and optimised for battlefield conditions, it enables encrypted connectivity over constrained and disrupted bearers, while supporting transport of national or NATO encrypted traffic.
Highly Resilient Operation under Disruption
Clavister TCNS is built to maintain communications despite link degradation and node mobility, using health monitoring, failover and adaptive routing mechanisms. In line with the PACE philosophy, it allows armed forces to combine multiple bearers and automatically transition mission traffic between primary and fallback paths as conditions change.
Security
Built-in
Clavister TCNS embeds cybersecurity from the outset, delivering a tactical network foundation where protection, policy enforcement and resilience are built in – not added later. Developed through a proven secure development lifecycle and based on high-assurance networking technology, it enables armed forces to deploy and scale secure communications with confidence.
Contact
Our Experts are
Here to Help You
Talk to a Clavister expert today and discover how we can future-proof your security posture.