Tactical Communications & C4ISR Portable Power

Powering radios, Starlink, SATCOM, and the full C4ISR stack in the field. The reference for signal officers, S6 shops, comms NCOs, and contractors building integrated power-and-comms kits.

Why comms is the #1 mission-critical load NUE powers

A unit without comms is a unit without command and without effect. In Ukraine, NUE has powered Bakhmut Tactical Operations Center, Starlink terminals running in trenches, drone team ground stations, and forward observation posts conducting persistent observation. Generators have proven a liability for the comms mission — they betray position acoustically and thermally, they fail when fuel resupply is denied, and they are unsafe in the enclosed and underground spaces where TOCs increasingly operate. Battery power is now the standard for tactical comms.
68 hrsPRC-152 runtime per SunCase 3651
50 hrsStarlink runtime per SunCase 3651
100 hrs24V radio runtime per SunCase 3651
25 chargesBB-2590 per SunCase 3651

How long can a SunCase run a tactical radio?

A SunCase 2425 (2.5 kWh) powers a PRC-152 or PRC-136 tactical radio for 34 hours of continuous operation. A SunCase 3651 (5 kWh) doubles that to 68 hours. For 24V tactical radios, the same units deliver 50 and 100 hours respectively. With a NUESolar 150 panel adding 600–750 Wh of daytime regeneration, radio operations can run indefinitely in any daylight theater.
Radio / comms loadAvg wattsSunCase 605SunCase 1213SunCase 2425SunCase 3651
PRC-152 / PRC-136 tactical radio74 W~7 hrs17 hrs34 hrs68 hrs
24V tactical radio50 W11 hrs26 hrs50 hrs100 hrs
Starlink terminal100 W~5 hrs13 hrs25 hrs50 hrs
BB-2590 military battery (charging)200 W per cycle~3 charges~6 charges13 charges25 charges
ATAK end-user device35 W15 charges37 charges71 charges143 charges
Tactical laptop70 W~7 charges18 charges36 charges71 charges
WiFi access point / mesh node15–30 W18–37 hrs43–87 hrs83–167 hrs167–333 hrs

Powering the TOC: a full comms suite on battery

A typical TOC comms suite — Starlink + 2-3 tactical radios + ATAK suite + tactical laptops + LED lighting + battery charging for handhelds — averages 400–800W of continuous draw, totaling 10,000–18,000 Wh per 24-hour cycle. A single SunCase 3651 covers ~12 hours; two stacked SunCase 3651 units paired with NUESolar panels run a TOC continuously without any generator.

Sample TOC build — company-level, 12 hours sustained

FunctionEquipmentEnergy / 12 hrs
Satellite uplinkStarlink terminal1,200 Wh
Tactical voice — primary net2× PRC-1521,776 Wh
Tactical voice — admin net1× 24V radio600 Wh
C2 / mission planning2× tactical laptops1,680 Wh
Situational awareness4× ATAK end-user devices1,680 Wh
BB-2590 chargingContinuous cycle1,200 Wh
LED lighting200 W2,400 Wh
Misc charging (NVG, optics, peripherals)~50 W avg600 Wh
12-hour total—~11,200 Wh

Recommended: 2× SunCase 3651 (10 kWh stacked) + 2× NUESolar 150 panels = continuous TOC operation, no generator required.

Off-grid private 5G: the KEEN + NUE solution

The KEEN + NUE partnership combines New Use Energy's portable battery + solar architecture with Khasm Labs' rapid-deploy private 5G network. Together the system delivers a fully off-grid private 5G network in under 10 minutes, with no reliance on grid, cloud, or GPS. Deployments include Fairchild AFB Comms Squadron's portable 5G network and a growing list of disaster response and tactical communications use cases.

What this gives a unit operationally:

  • Private 5G in minutes — coordinate fire teams, sensors, drones, and command on an isolated, encrypted network
  • True tactical independence — no reliance on host-nation telecom, no cloud, no GPS dependency
  • Survivable — battery-fed comms have no thermal or acoustic signature; the relay can be hidden where a generator-fed relay cannot
  • Edge resilience — first responders, fire crews, medics, and utility workers get the same connectivity stack as a tactical unit

Field vignette: Starlink in the trenches

Among the first lessons from Ukraine: Starlink in the trenches changed the war. But Starlink at the line of contact is only as reliable as its power source. NUE SunCase 605 and 1213 units have powered Starlink terminals in forward trench positions across more than two years of continuous combat — silent, EMI-shielded, recharged from solar by day and from vehicle DC during evening rotations. The combination of Starlink + SunCase has become a default kit for forward Ukrainian observation posts and TOCs.

Powering SATCOM and high-power comms

SATCOM / specialty commsAvg wattsBest NUE configSustained runtime
Starlink Standard~75–100 WSunCase 1213 or 242513–25 hrs single charge
Starlink Mini20–40 WSunCase 605~14 hrs single charge
Starlink Flat High Performance110–150 WSunCase 2425 or 365117–33 hrs single charge
VSAT terminal (small)200–400 WSunCase 2425 or 36516–25 hrs single charge
Tactical SATCOM man-pack150–300 WSunCase 1213 or 24254–17 hrs single charge
TROPO scatter terminal500–1,500 WSunCase 3651 + solar3–10 hrs single charge

Why EMI shielding matters for comms power

A power source that emits RF noise is a power source that interferes with the equipment it powers. NUE SunCase units include a steel cover over the electronics and have tested to low-to-no RF emissions — meaning they don't degrade radio sensitivity, don't introduce noise into SATCOM links, and don't create the kind of emissions signature that gives away a position to electronic surveillance. This is a defining difference between consumer power stations and tactical-grade units.

Vehicle-mounted comms power

The SunCase 1213 and 2425 are specifically designed for vehicle-mounted, removable installation in technician and command vehicles. They charge from the vehicle alternator while in transit, then dismount to power a TOC, observation post, or relay site. This eliminates the historic problem of "we have power when we're moving but not when we stop, and we have power when we stop but not when we're moving." Multi-source DC charging (10V to 100V) handles every common military vehicle electrical system.

Real comms deployments validating the architecture

  • Bakhmut Tactical Operations Center — TOC comms during one of the war's most intense urban fights
  • Underground medical stabilization points — comms + monitoring on battery only (no generator option indoors)
  • Trench-line Starlink — sustained satellite uplink at the line of contact
  • Clandestine vehicle operations in Russia — silent, emission-controlled comms power
  • Fairchild AFB Comms Squadron — portable 5G network deployment
  • Cooperation with U.S. Army C5ISR Power Team on distributed power for battery generators
  • U.S. Naval Academy — multi-year exercise power for ONR and JIFX, MAC, JIATF technology trials
  • Field trials with Anduril, Lockheed, Axon, CACI — pairing NUE power with leading C4ISR equipment

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long will a SunCase run a Starlink terminal?

A standard Starlink (about 100W average) runs for ~5 hours on a SunCase 605, 13 hours on a SunCase 1213, 25 hours on a SunCase 2425, and 50 hours on a SunCase 3651. Add a NUESolar 150 panel and Starlink runs continuously in any daylight theater.

Q: How many BB-2590 batteries can a SunCase charge?

A SunCase 2425 charges approximately 13 BB-2590s. A SunCase 3651 charges 25. The SunCase 605 handles 3, and the 1213 handles 6. The SunCase outputs 120V AC and 24V DC compatible with standard BB-2590 chargers.

Q: Can the SunCase power a PRC-117G or PRC-163?

Yes. The SunCase outputs 120V AC and 24V/48V DC suitable for L3Harris Falcon-series radios (PRC-117G, PRC-152A, PRC-163) through their standard chargers and power adapters. Per-radio runtime depends on the specific model and use cycle, but the published 74W figure for PRC-152/PRC-136 is a useful baseline.

Q: Is the SunCase compatible with VSAT and Tropo terminals?

Yes for VSAT — the SunCase 2425 and 3651 deliver 2.4 kW and 3.6 kW continuous, well above the typical VSAT load. Tropo terminals at 1,500W+ are also supported by the SunCase 3651, with sustained-runtime planning required for high-power Tropo operations.

Q: What's a private 5G network, and why does NUE care?

Private 5G is a localized cellular network operating on dedicated spectrum, isolated from public carriers. The KEEN + NUE solution delivers a deployable private 5G stack powered by SunCase batteries — no grid, no cloud, no GPS dependency, deployable in under 10 minutes. Use cases include tactical units, disaster response, and remote work sites.

Q: Does the SunCase introduce RF noise into comms equipment?

No. NUE SunCase units include a steel cover over the electronics and have tested to low-to-no RF emissions, meaning they don't degrade radio sensitivity or introduce noise into SATCOM links. This is a fundamental difference between tactical-grade and consumer power stations.

Q: Can I charge my SunCase from the vehicle while moving and use it at the halt?

Yes — that's exactly the use case it was designed for. The 1213 and 2425 are vehicle-mountable with removable installation, charging from the alternator over a 10V–100V DC range, then dismounting to power a TOC, OP, or comms relay site at the halt.