Demonstration of ATM-Based Advanced AWACS Network With Integrated Battlespace Simulation

摘要

Future C4I aircraft mission avionics suites will be required to handle a much greater aggregate data rate than is the case today, and also be required to provide a much more comprehensive set of network services to support on-hoard battle staffs. Current on-board networking technology cannot meet these emerging requirements. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networking technology has been identified as a significant potential backbone network for future mission avionics. ATM technology has been successfully demonstrated for some military applications, such as for fixed ground-based fiber networks, and the extension of this technology into the RF medium is currently under way with field demonstrations expected to take place very soon. For potential applications to airborne C4I, an ATM local-area network had been successfully demonstrated on Casey 01, but the demonstration did not include an operational scenario nor was it configured with a realistic C4I aircraft avionics mite. Thus, while ATM undoubtedly shows significant potential to meet on-board C4I network requirements, ATM network applicability and cost effectiveness for realistic C4I aircraft applications has to be fully implemented, quantitatively assessed, and operationally demonstrated. The objective of this program was to design, implement, assess, and demonstrate an ATM network in a realistic airborne C4I demonstration system (i.e., Advanced AWACS prototype).