Upgrading to such land-based HF radio equipment offers its military and other agencies greater communications capabilities and versatility.

Traditional High Frequency (HF) radios, valued for their long-range and secure voice communications, are increasingly being replaced by wideband versions of such equipment that significantly increase data throughput and support advanced digital services over challenging operational environments.

For example, to overcome persistent challenges in tactical communications, particularly in tropical and remote operational environments, Malaysia has adopted a new generation of high-data-rate high-frequency (HF) wideband radios for its military.

Historically, where satellite coverage is limited, the country’s military forces have faced difficulties maintaining secure, long-range data communications across dense jungle terrain and areas. Traditional HF radios, while reliable for voice communications, lacked sufficient data throughput for today’s demands, such as sending large files, images, and supporting video streaming in real time.

In September 2025, it was announced that these issues would be addressed through advanced HF wideband radio technology. This new system provides approximately 10 times the data rate of conventional HF radios while retaining HF’s inherent advantages, including secure transmissions, wide coverage ranges up to 5,000 km, and lower operational costs.

Key technological solutions contributing to enhanced operational capability include:

  • Automated frequency selection via a cognitive engine to maximize link resilience and minimize interference and jamming effects
  • Support for IP-based services such as chat, secure voice over IP, file transfers, and streaming video over extensive operational distances
  • Interoperability with the existing radio inventory ensuring seamless integration and network continuity
  • Flexible power configurations, ranging from portable manpack units at 20W to high-power 400W and 1kW radios for stationary command posts, enabling communication across diverse operational roles

The upgrade program involves 100 complete vehicle-mounted stations with a coverage of up to 5,000km.

According to Florian Riou, Country Director, Thales Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the supplier of the equipment: “We aim to support sovereign capability development in Malaysia by providing resilient and advanced tactical communication solutions tailored to its unique operational needs.”