Commercial Off the Shelf Satellite Solutions for

Military Communications

Bruce Elbert

The US Military has clearly demonstrated its superiority in waging a successful war half way around the world. In past years, these operations certainly took longer and cost more lives of Americans, our allies, civilians and even the enemy. The “shock and awe” provided by modern weaponry is undeniable, yet without state of the art broadband communications, progress might have not been as rapid. US military communications have moved from signal flags to radio, and following the Vietnam War, satellites. But, technology development on the government side has lagged what our broadcasters and corporations have enjoyed for several years. There are some good reasons for this, such as the need for “militarized” systems that can withstand harsh treatment and weather (not to mention bullets) and the requirement that the equipment be portable and easy to put “on the air”. The government procurement processes that protect taxpayers tend to lumber along according to timescales measured in years rather than months.

Times have changed and our military, which is protecting us so well, has the intelligence and ability to go commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) in satellite communications. One reason is that military satellites, which operate in the UHF, X and Ka bands, are full just handling routine global needs. Iraqi Freedom produced demand that could only be met with our commercial GEO fleet, at L, C and Ku bands. True, this capacity is booked up for broadcasters as well, but the fact that these bands are used means that the same ground equipment can be used as well.

Broadcasters demand many of the same features valued by the military – compactness, mobility, ruggedness, and ease of use. Being able to transport a fly-away broadband terminal, like those produced in the US by AVL and L-3, and in Europe by Advant Communications, ND SatCom and SweDish, means that a small team can set up literally anywhere in the region and establish high data rate connections all the way to the US. While we cannot talk about the precise nature of these operations or the information being transferred, we can be assured that the positive impact is real.

Those really compact and streamlined SNG systems, seen recently on the NAB exhibit floor, have found their way onto military vehicles. All the operator needs to do is stop the vehicle, hit the erect button, activate the satellite auto-finder, and it’s time to transmit. For a remote operations center, roof mounts produced by the previously-identified companies provide quick access to a global broadband network for voice, data and video transmission. Like watching high quality TV originating in Baghdad, the unit commander and his staff have the same communications that would exist back at their home base.

The armed forces of the future are appearing today, but further developments are already underway. The familiar HMMV that carries weapons, troops and supplies, is a platform for fully militarized versions of today’s SNGs. Soon, ground forces will routinely employ broadband satellite connections with a military flavor (and color). Such a system is already in production at Global SATCOM, giving our highly-mobile field units more of the communications they demand.

With the modern military more dependent than ever on broadband fixed and mobile communications, future government satellites will perform less like their burly predecessors and more like the high-power Ku and Ka band systems being launched by commercial ventures. The Transformational Communications Architecture (TCA), a massive initiative coming together in the DoD, would change the way forces on land, sea and in the air transfer high-data rate information now essential to strategic as well as tactical operations¹. According to the director of this program, Rear Admiral Rand Fisher, “Our intent is to leverage all of the great work being done in the commercial industry and network industry. We’re looking for commercial standards and processes. In some areas, we also are investing to meet the demands we have that are different, albeit parallel, to commercial interests.” Admiral Fisher goes on to state that RF and potentially laser transmission are to be exploited to provide data rates more like what commercial users expect in offices and factories. This technology development track is different from the Cold Ware arms race, where military R&D was many years and dollars ahead of what the telecommunications and computer industries could ever muster.

TCA could invest several billion dollars in satellites and ground technology to achieve full global connectivity with the capability of what today’s commercial satellite networks demonstrated during Iraqi Freedom. Commercial networks now deliver business success using technology from suppliers like ViaSat, ND SatCom, Shiron and ComStream, and satellite operators like PanAmSat, JSAT, AsiaSat and Intelsat. Similar comments apply to mobile digital applications through Inmarsat and Stratos Global that provide better data rates to mobile users than the primary military mobile satellite system, UHF Follow On. The future military mobile system, contained within TCA as well, will likewise provide high data rate capability for fast-moving ground, sea and air units. As is usually the case in our industry, innovations in the commercial satellite sector do encourage innovation in parallel fields – in this case, for military operations. And in this way, the commercial satellite sector itself will move to the next level as well.

Sources:

¹ As quoted in J.R. Wilson, “Satellite designers blend commercial and military technology,” Military & Aerospace Electronics, April 2003.

Gail Kaufman and Gopal Ratnam, Defense News, “US Military Plans Set For Giant Network,” April 14, 2003.

Bruce Elbert has over 30 years of experience in satellite communications and is the President of Application Technology Strategy, Inc., which assists satellite operators, network providers and users in the public and private sectors. He is an author and educator in these fields, having produced seven titles and conducted technical and business training around the world. During 25 years with Hughes Electronics, he directed major technical projects and led business activities in the U.S. and overseas. Web site: www.applicationstrategy.com

email:bruce@applicationstrategy.com