Lowering the High Ground: Using Near-Space Vehicles for Persistent C3ISR

摘要

Department of Defense (DOD), military service, and industry leaders have focused on increasing command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C3ISR) persistence. As of today, the air and space platforms do not provide persistent C3ISR. Platforms exploiting near space will be part of an integrated solution to increase persistent C3ISR. This paper covers the capabilities and limitations of current C3ISR platforms supporting battlespace awareness. After identifying the deficiencies, the essay then explores the various platform and payload combinations that can reach the near space altitudes of 20 to 150 kilometers (km). Finally, the paper concludes with a comparison of capabilities and concepts of operations (CONOPS) for several near-space vehicle (NSV) constellations.