|
December 13, 2006: L-3 Communications completed flight tests
of a new IP-enabled, wideband Multi-Platform Common Data Link
(MP-CDL) demonstrating the capability to sustain high capacity
airborne networking. The test involved multiple missions flown
by two Big Crow NKC-135 aircraft, establishing up to 274 Mbps
datalinks over distances of 300 nautical miles (km). Simultaneous
video transmission to manpackable ROVER
III terminal validated the system’s ability to provide
real-time, full-motion video through the net-centric MP-CDL
terminal directly to warfighters on the ground.
|
| The
demonstration established datalinks between the two aircraft
and from the aircraft to the Global Information Grid (GIG),
the Internet, and the public switched telephone network using
the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Network CDL, Standard
CDL, and MP-CDL is a production-ready data link delivering advanced
communications capabilities including automatic self-healing
network formation, IP routing, adaptive transmit power and data
rate selection, automatic signal acquisition and jam resistance.
Network applications demonstrated simultaneously
on Big Crow through the MP-CDL terminals included multiple simultaneous
high bandwidth video streams, video teleconferencing, high-definition
video, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) with access to the
public switched telephone network and Internet access to the
World Wide Web and e-mail.
The Big Crow flights passed high-bandwidth data
from one aircraft to the other, automatically routing traffic
through to the ground site and distant networks when required.
Standard Ethernet interfaces allowed personal computers onboard
the aircraft to communicate through the system to the Internet
at high data rates, with a variety of user application software.
Additionally, L-3 Integrated Systems (L-3 IS)
demonstrated their third generation EV-3 Office In The Sky application
suite with the MP-CDL system and utilized the high bandwidth,
net-centric data link capability to provide an eight-way real
time Video Teleconferencing (VTC) connecting the two airborne
platforms and multiple ground locations, including Washington,
DC. Their integrated VoIP was also used to provide connectivity
with the public telephone networks.
|
