Source note: This report was prompted by an Aug. 27 LinkedIn post from AeroNova Defense Systems and the accompanying infographic, “The Entire Military Tactical Radio Ecosystem.” It checks the post and graphic against government descriptions, corporate records and official product information. The post’s “Download Free Report” link leads to a request form for a May 2026 market report; the public landing page does not disclose a research methodology.2
The graphic reflects documented changes in military communications, including software-defined radios, mobile ad hoc networking, multiple waveforms and greater demand for resilience in contested spectrum. It does not support its description as an entire or comprehensive industry map. The image mixes companies, government organizations, product brands and legacy corporate identities, and its classifications contain several errors or ambiguities.
By PAI
Aug. 29, 2026
An infographic circulated on LinkedIn describes itself as “The Entire Military Tactical Radio Ecosystem” and “A Comprehensive View of the Modern Military Tactical Radio Industry.” Its central technology narrative is broadly supported by military programs and official product records, but its market taxonomy is not.
The image, dated August 2026, groups organizations into radio manufacturers, solution providers, component suppliers, software and encryption providers, antenna companies, power suppliers, test firms, mission-system integrators and emerging companies. A note at the bottom says the companies are examples and the list is not exhaustive.1
That disclosure conflicts with the title’s claims of completeness. The graphic also lacks published inclusion criteria, geographic limits, market-share thresholds, procurement data and a method for distinguishing a company from a brand, product or government organization.
The technology trend is supported
The post says modern tactical communications are converging around software-defined radios, mobile ad hoc networks, satellite communications, commercial cellular technology, autonomous systems and advanced electromagnetic-spectrum capabilities.1 Government and military sources support the main direction of that claim.
The U.S. Army has described its Integrated Tactical Network as a combination of applications, services and transport rather than a collection of stand-alone voice radios. An Army University Press analysis says mobile ad hoc network, or MANET, radios form the lower-tier transport foundation and can connect with cellular devices, tactical applications, aerial relays, satellite communications, high-frequency radio and cross-domain gateways.3
The Army’s two-channel Manpack and Leader radio procurement also illustrates the multiwaveform, multivendor model. In 2021, the Army awarded full-rate production orders to L3Harris and Collins Aerospace for Manpack radios and to L3Harris and Thales for Leader radios. The Army said the radios provide multiple communications options and can receive waveform upgrades as technology changes.4
European programs show the same movement. The European Secure Software Defined Radio project is developing common architectures and waveforms for land, maritime and air communications. Its stated objective is to improve interoperability among European armed forces regardless of the radio platform used.5
The post’s emphasis on resilience is also consistent with NATO’s description of the operating environment. NATO says military operations across all domains depend on the electromagnetic spectrum and identifies communications and navigation jamming as forms of electromagnetic warfare.6
| Claim in the post | Finding | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Software-defined radios are increasing flexibility. | Supported | Army procurements and the ESSOR program use upgradeable, multiwaveform software-defined architectures.4 5 |
| MANET and mesh networking are becoming central to tactical communications. | Supported | The Army describes MANET transport as a foundation of the lower tactical network.3 |
| Communications must connect troops, vehicles, aircraft, sensors and uncrewed systems. | Supported | Army network descriptions include mounted, dismounted and aerial nodes, tactical applications, relays and multiple transport paths.3 |
| Anti-jam and spectrum resilience are important in contested environments. | Supported | NATO identifies communications and navigation jamming as operational electromagnetic-warfare threats.6 |
| The graphic represents the entire modern ecosystem. | Not supported | The title claims completeness, but the image’s own note calls the companies nonexhaustive and no methodology is provided.1 |
Corporate identities are inconsistent
Several entries use legacy names or present a subsidiary, brand or acquired company as though it were an independent current company.
The graphic displays Harris and L3Harris separately. Harris Corp. and L3 Technologies completed their merger in June 2019 and formed L3Harris Technologies.7 The Harris name may remain on legacy products and branding, but it does not represent a separate current parent company alongside L3Harris.
Cassidian appears as a software and encryption provider while Airbus Defence and Space appears elsewhere as a solution provider and mission-system integrator. Airbus says EADS was renamed Airbus Group in 2014 and its space, defense and military transport aircraft businesses were combined into the organization that became Airbus Defence and Space.8 Cassidian is a legacy identity within that corporate history, not a separate contemporary peer.
Silvus Technologies appears in the emerging-company tier. Motorola Solutions completed its acquisition of Silvus on Aug. 6, 2025.9 Silvus remains an operating brand and technology business, but the graphic does not identify its parent. Motorola Solutions also owns Barrett Communications, which it acquired in 2022.10
National Instruments appears in the test-and-measurement tier. The business remains relevant to that market, but Emerson completed its acquisition of NI in October 2023 and made it a Test & Measurement segment. NI shares ceased trading after the transaction.11
Wave Relay appears as if it were a company in the software and encryption tier. Persistent Systems identifies Wave Relay as the MANET technology used by its MPU5 radio. Persistent Systems appears separately in the graphic’s emerging-company tier.12
| Graphic entry | Current status | Classification issue |
|---|---|---|
| Harris and L3Harris | Harris and L3 merged in 2019 to form L3Harris. | Legacy brand and current parent are presented separately.7 |
| Cassidian and Airbus Defence and Space | Cassidian was absorbed into the Airbus defense structure. | Legacy identity and current organization are presented as peers.8 |
| Silvus Technologies | Acquired by Motorola Solutions in 2025. | Parent ownership is omitted.9 |
| National Instruments | Acquired by Emerson in 2023 and organized as NI Test & Measurement. | Relevant brand, but not an independent company.11 |
| Wave Relay | Persistent Systems’ MANET technology. | Product technology is presented separately from its company.12 |
The categories mix unlike entities
The chart’s layers do not consistently distinguish manufacturers, technologies, integrators, suppliers and government organizations.
The most direct example is DEVCOM, which appears under “Power & Battery Solution Providers.” DEVCOM is the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. The Army describes it as its organic science, technology and engineering organization.13 DEVCOM and its C5ISR Center conduct and sponsor military power research, but DEVCOM is not a commercial battery company comparable to Saft, Energizer, Ultralife or GS Yuasa.
INVISIO appears under “Software & Encryption Providers.” INVISIO describes its business as tactical communication, intercom and hearing-protection systems for defense and public-safety users.14 Its products connect users to radios and protect hearing in high-noise environments. The company belongs in a soldier audio, hearing protection or tactical communications accessories category rather than a category principally labeled software and encryption.
ESCRYPT appears in the same software and encryption tier. The official ESCRYPT product page cited in public search results describes an automotive key-management platform for electronic control units, vehicles, fleet services and software-defined vehicles.15 That demonstrates cryptographic capability, but it does not establish ESCRYPT as a military tactical-radio encryption supplier. A comprehensive chart would need to state whether it includes adjacent cybersecurity companies and what evidence qualifies them for the radio market.
Barrett Communications is placed under antenna and radio-frequency system providers. Motorola Solutions says Barrett supplies software-defined HF and VHF military radios, combat-net systems, encryption devices, command-and-control software and antennas.16 Barrett can reasonably appear in an antenna layer, but a single placement there understates its more direct role as a tactical-radio manufacturer.
The post text introduces another error by naming “Barrett Firearms Mfg, Inc” in a list of communications companies.1 Barrett Firearms markets rifles, ammunition, suppressors and related products.17 It is separate from Barrett Communications, the Australian radio business owned by Motorola Solutions.
The emerging-company list is internally inconsistent
The LinkedIn text labels a section a “20-company startup / emerging-company ecosystem” but names 21 entities.1 The list also includes Elbit Systems, Hensoldt, Comtech Telecommunications, Bittium and other established businesses that do not fit an ordinary startup classification.
The graphic itself places Elbit Systems among major tactical-radio manufacturers, solution providers and mission-system integrators. The post text simultaneously includes Elbit in the startup and emerging-company list. Those two classifications cannot both describe the company’s market position without a separate explanation.
The post names Bittium and TrellisWare in its text but omits both from the infographic. Bittium markets handheld, vehicular and uncrewed software-defined tactical radios.18 TrellisWare markets handheld, body-worn, vehicular and embedded software-defined radios using its TSM and Katana waveforms.19 Their absence is significant because both directly match the map’s principal product and waveform categories.
The same problem applies to Motorola Solutions. The company is not shown as a parent or tactical-radio participant even though it owns Barrett Communications and Silvus, two businesses represented elsewhere in the post or graphic.9 10
The omissions do not prove that every unlisted company must be included. They show that the chart does not provide a repeatable rule for deciding which companies qualify.
A market map requires a consistent unit of analysis
The tactical communications market can be mapped in several valid ways, but the unit of analysis must remain consistent. A company map should identify legal companies and parent ownership. A product map should identify radios, waveforms, encryption modules and applications. A supply-chain map should distinguish component suppliers from original equipment manufacturers and prime integrators. A capability map should organize entries by operational function.
The infographic uses all four approaches at once. That structure produces duplicate entries and makes absence or placement difficult to interpret. A more consistent taxonomy would separate radio original equipment manufacturers; waveform and MANET developers; communications-security and encryption providers; antenna and radio-frequency suppliers; soldier audio and intercom suppliers; power suppliers; test-and-measurement companies; mission-system integrators; and government research, acquisition and standards organizations.
Ownership and branding would require a second field. Silvus, Barrett and Motorola Solutions could then be shown as related entities without erasing the operating brands. Harris and Cassidian could be identified as legacy names rather than counted as separate current companies. Wave Relay could be listed as technology attached to Persistent Systems rather than as a company.
Assessment
The post accurately identifies the dominant technical direction of military tactical communications. Official sources support its emphasis on software-defined radios, multiple waveforms, MANET transport, interoperability and resilience in contested spectrum.3 4 5 6
The infographic does not accurately establish the structure or full membership of the industry. Its title overstates its scope, its footnote concedes that the list is nonexhaustive, and it does not publish a methodology. Corporate records also show outdated or incomplete ownership relationships, while product information shows that several organizations are placed in categories that do not describe their principal role.
The supported conclusion is therefore limited: The post is a useful high-level illustration of technologies that are converging in tactical communications. It is not a verified or comprehensive map of the companies in the military tactical-radio ecosystem.