Defense Department Researchers Aim for Sky-Based Switchboard

摘要

The Defense Department is striving to link its diverse battlefield communications through a single system based on an airborne platform. This system would be capable of providing connectivity among radio and cellular telephony users while loitering over a theater of operations, and its capabilities could also be applied to intelligence collection and dissemination. The airborne unit, which could be based on manned or unmanned aircraft, is designed to address potential communications shortcomings that can arise during an overseas operation in an unfamiliar area.