WAIMANALO — The Navy, Kane'ohe Marines and local companies have developed a mobile command center that provides better communications for troops on the move.

The Mobile, Modular Command and Control (M2C2) system was created for the Marines by Hawai'i technology companies through the Office of Naval Research and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific Experimentation Center. The Marines demonstrated the system at Bellows Air Force Station yesterday.

M2C2, which fits in the back of a Humvee, includes radio and satellite communications with capabilities for video, teleconferencing, secure data transmission and real-time snapshots of battle situations. The program is a vast improvement over the communication capabilities that Marines had to deal with during the invasion of Iraq, said Col. Steven Hummer, incoming commander for Marine Corps Base Hawai'i.

In Iraq, Hummer said, he had to stop the advancement of troops to Baghdad every time he needed to communicate with other units or headquarters. It slowed the progress and put Marines' lives at risk.

With M2C2, communication can take place on the move, and if line-of-sight radio operation doesn't work, satellite communication kicks in, Hummer said. Commanders can receive on-the-spot information about battlefield conditions and enemy movement, he said.

"Through this program what we're approaching for the commander is virtual situational awareness," Hummer said.

The most difficult aspect of the $8 million project was maintaining satellite connections on the move, said David Ushio, president of Pacific Technologies, which assembled the project's team of experts, most of whom are from Hawai'i.

"Every bump in the road potentially throws off the signal," Ushio said, adding that another challenge was grouping the antennas so many radios could operate at once. "So the key on this thing is to make sure the antenna keeps up with the satellite in all kinds of terrain."

Although developed primarily for the Marine Corps, the system could be used throughout the military and in humanitarian relief, such as in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he said.

"The bottom line is it really will save lives," Ushio said.

The M2C2 has been on the Marines Corps wish list for more than a decade, and Ushio said it was U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye who obtained the money for the project and assured that Hawai'i companies get the contract for it.

Master Gunnery Sgt. Mark Clemmons said the prototype has all the capabilities that the Marines requested. It uses the latest in wide-band satellite communications, digital data and laser technology. It's capable of constant voice, text and data transmissions. It's light, portable and needs only hours to set up. With all the equipment encased in a metal frame, the system can be placed in any vehicle, Clemmons said.

Clemmons was part of the team made up of Marines, Navy personnel and engineers that brainstormed the concept for the system. Although the Marines waited for years to get the funding for the project, it took only months to develop, he said.

"We went from concept to reality in 12 months," Clemmons said.

And all of this was done using primarily Hawai'i-based companies, said Ushio. The team included Raytheon and the Monitor Group, and Hawai'i-based firms such as Novasol and Oceanit. Hawai'i companies Referential and Akimeka are developing improvements to the M2C2, including creating a more compact antenna system and software for better network management. Once those products are proven they will replace M2C2 components, he said.

Other Hawai'i companies involved with the project are Trex Enterprises Corp., Maui High Performance Computing Center, Pelatron and Ho'akea Communications.

The second phase of the project calls for $20 million for technology integration and testing, Ushio said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.