The White House Communications Agency Roadrunner vehicle is an element of every American presidential

motorcade A motorcade, or autocade, is a procession of motor vehicles. Uses can include ceremonial processions for funerals or demonstrations, but can also be used to provide security while transporting a very important person. The American presidenti ...

. It is also known as the MC2V (mobile command and control vehicle). The vehicle serves as the communications hub for the motorcade by encrypting duplex radio and streaming video which in turn is beamed up to a military satellite which in turn beams that data back down to a ground entry point and through to the WHCA switchboard. The vehicle is a heavily modified

Chevrolet Suburban The Chevrolet Suburban is a series of SUVs built by Chevrolet since the 1935 model year. The longest-used automobile nameplate in the world, the Chevrolet Suburban is currently in its twelfth generation, introduced for 2021. Beginning life a ...

equipped with protective armor, runflat tires, vehicle

transponder In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''. In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a flight trans ...

, and

turbocharger In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into th ...

. The most obvious feature is a configurable antennae platform mounted on the roof. This contains a large SATCOM dome containing a tracking dish that serves as the data uplink and downlink as the primary communications path for the motorcade. Also on the roof are smaller VHF antennas that serve as a repeater for the other motorcade elements as well as another communications path to local authorities and the onsite White House Communications Agency office. VHF antennae configuration changes according to the mission operational requirements. This also serves as the hub for the LCP or Limousine Control Package that allows C2 functions to be performed from USSS control cars, presidential parade limo or presidential suburban. 22 of these vehicles were built by Assurance Technology Corporation in Carlisle, MA and developed with NRL (Naval Research Laboratory). The primary communications path was via the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) III (U) satellite. There were nine of these satellites in orbit, each one providing six super-high-frequency encrypted data and voice channels and a single channel dedicated for Emergency Action Messages which would be used to direct a nuclear release from the motorcade. Voice channels are all encrypted, most likely with

FASCINATOR A fascinator is a formal wear, formal headpiece, a style of Hatmaking, millinery. Since the 1990s, the term has referred to a type of formal headwear worn as an alternative to the hat; it is usually a large decorative design attached to a band ...

encryption. FASCINATOR is a digital voice encryption standard for the federal government. It is based on voice being digitized using 12 kbit/s Continuously Variable Slope Delta modulation (CVSD) and then encrypted using a National Security Agency (NSA) Commercial COMSEC Endorsement Program (CCEP) Type I encryption algorithm.

References

* * White House {{US-gov-stub