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Raytheon Demonstrates Satellite Communications Alternative
Marlborough MA (SPX) Feb 11, 2007 During an exercise with the I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif., Raytheon successfully demonstrated that a traditional, transportable satellite communications terminal could be field configured to communicate without acquiring a satellite connection. This capability, known as Troposcatter, or TROPO, transmits radio waves over the curvature of the Earth without using satellites. The U.S. military currently employs these systems for tactical and strategic communications throughout the world. "This demonstration showed that it is possible to provide a viable alternative to traditional satellite communications with a light-weight, low- power and rapidly deployable solution," said Jerry Powlen, vice president, Network Centric Systems' Integrated Communications Systems. "Enemy threats to satellite communications are real. We are offering a high-performance, cost- effective solution to counter these threats." Colonel Kirk Bruno, information technology officer for the I Marine Expeditionary Force, said: "The ease of deployment and set up and the improved data rates with TROPO systems drastically reduce the support needed to carry out a mission. Increased data throughput without relying on already stressed satellites is critical, and unlike satellite communications, TROPO systems provide cost-free access." Raytheon established the TROPO communications link between its Dual-Mode, All-Band Re-locatable Tactical Terminal, or DART-T, and a modified Joint Network Node satellite transportable terminal. The demonstration showed that the widely fielded JNN terminal could be adapted to include a high-bandwidth troposcatter mode, which not only minimizes the current limitation of existing satellite bandwidth, but also provides continuous and reliable communications in areas of the world that do not have access to SATCOM. Dual-Mode, All-Band Re-locatable Tactical Terminal (DART-T) is the industry's most advanced TROPO communications link, providing voice, video and data. It is a multipurpose, mobile platform that provides single antenna communications for both TROPO, SATCOM and line-of-sight communications. Over a five-day period, during this demonstration, the vehicle-mounted DART-T terminal and its TROPO-modified JNN trailer, both single antenna systems, delivered continuous, error-free data operation over a 20Mbps troposcatter link. JNN is a system that the U.S. military uses for remote, satellite-based communications. Troposcatter operates by bouncing signals off irregularities (small changes in humidity, temperature and pressure) in the troposphere, approximately 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) above the Earth's surface. Email This Article
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Los Angeles AFB CA (AFNS) Feb 11, 2007Air Force officials announced Feb. 6 the successful launch and delivery for operational service of the second Interim Polar System payload. With this placement of the second of three planned IPS payloads, the extremely high frequency constellation is at full operational capability, providing 24-hour EHF communications coverage of the northern polar region. |
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