Compact and IP68-sealed, the new plug-and-play Fischer KEYSTONE™ 4 power and data hub empowers soldier mission

Fischer KEYSTONE™ 4 is a small, versatile, plug-and-play tactical hub for reliable power distribution, seamless connectivity, and high adaptability to every operational challenge on the battlefield. Its compact design and rugged features, as well as its ease of use, make it unique in the defense industry.

The new Fischer KEYSTONE™ 4-port power and data hub offers an unmatched combination of compactness, ruggedness and performance in the soldier hub marketplace, enhancing in particular the mission of fast-moving special operation forces and small-squad team leaders.

The housing of KEYSTONE 4 is 69.2 mm long, 38 mm wide, 17 mm thick, weighs 125 g, and is sealed, along with its connectors and cable assemblies, to IP68 for -2m/24. Other environmental MIL-STD-810G features include operating temperature from -32 °C to +55 °C, operating altitude up to +9,754 m, and resistance to shock of 40 G / 11 ms, to vibration of 7.7 Grms / 1 h per axis, and to weather conditions such as solar radiation, salt, sand and dust, rain and water, and fungus.

In compliance with standard MIL-STD-461G, the Fischer KEYSTONE™ 4 effectively reduces emissions and detection risks. With minimal thermal and EMI/EMC signatures, optimized circuitry and a fully shielded enclosure, it ensures operational discretion in the most demanding environments.

Olivier Thormann, Product Manager for Fischer KEYSTONE, explains how the new 4-port hub helps “minimize the physical and cognitive burden on soldiers: tiny and lightweight, the hub is easy to mount on the MOLLE system with a removable clip, and connects easily and reliably to the wearable devices soldiers need on the battlefield. KEYSTONE 4 is extremely easy to use and requires no training.”

With two PAN ports, one EUD HOST port and one RADIO BATT port, the hub efficiently distributes power (100 W total, 5 A under 20 V DC) while seamlessly transferring data (USB 2.0) from tactical devices, adapting to different operational configurations.

Pointing to the typical use case of the hub interconnecting a single battery with the EUD, a target locator, and a mesh radio with PTT headset, Olivier Thorman reports rapid adoption of KEYSTONE 4 by soldiers: “The feedback we get from the field is always the same, underlining the simplicity and ultra-reliability of the tactical solution. Soldiers adopt KEYSTONE 4 as soon as they test it. They clip it on, plug it in, and it just works.”

Intermateable with Nett Warrior and NATO STANAG 4695/4851 interfaces, the Fischer KEYSTONE™ Tactical Hub series ensures seamless integration with existing systems, enhancing warfighter situational awareness and contributing to overall operational efficiency within the Battlefield Management System (BMS) framework.

Fischer KEYSTONE 4 is a product extension of Fischer Connectors’ tactical hub series launched on March 29, 2023 with Fischer KEYSTONE 6, a 6-port tactical hub featuring a power management app and an ATAK plug-in. Both KEYSTONE 6 and 4 benefit from a versatile suite of cable assemblies including extensions, adaptors, as well as assemblies interconnecting EUD, radios, and a variety of other devices (cf. news of October 25, 2023).

Fischer KEYSTONE™ 4 is designed for soldiers who need power and data connections for a wide range of critical missions.