The U.S. Air Force conducted an exercise to train aircrews in surviving various mission scenarios. Eleven airmen from the Travis Air Force Base tested Somewear Labs-built hotspot devices with combat-configured smartphones while they performed evasion training under the Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape program, the service branch said Friday.
Nate Simon, a product manager at Somewear Labs, said the hotspot is designed to enable data transmission, satellite messaging and blue-force tracking capabilities for command centers.
“This new device can be paired with any smartphone once the user downloads the application and provides encrypted messaging between the user in the field, the receiver, another team member, a recovery force or a personnel recovery cell,” Tech. Sgt. Emanuel Espino-Mata, a noncommissioned officer in charge of SERE operations at the 60th Operations Support Squadron.
