MILSATCOM-+Satellite+Communications+for+the+Warfighter



-The possession of MILSATCOM (Military Satellite Communications) provides those with access the ability to iead muiti-nationai coalitions by offering independent and guaranteed communications with deployed forces. -data and imagery with difference in scale from meshed backbone networks connecting depolyed forces; with national assets at home, a theatre meshed network and a low data rate, typically UHF mobile network for mobile voice. -UHF is dedicated to mobile communications: its narrow bandwidth and low gain coverage mean reduced throughput and data rate access. -SHF is functionally limited for higher command levels however it is hindered by the fact that iarge terminals are needed for adequate data rates, -Protected EHF terminals are optimised for ECCM in a tactical environment with high levels of janiming but throughput is limited with an extremely high cost of development and ownership. -The Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) provides the ultimate in protected com- munication today, supplementing and ultimately replacing MILSTAR (Military Strategic & lBJ| tical Relay) providing a five times boost in a n throughput over the legacy MILSTAR II fleet and a 3400 of the earlier MILSTAR 1 satellites. -a 1.1 Mbp Air Tasking order sent over MILSTAR takes 5.7 seconds and just 1.1 seconds with AEHF. -EHF being considered for a larger battlefield role rather than being limited to commanders. -Australia is funding a sixth WGS satellite under an $823 million agreement signed in October 2007 which will be ready for 2012, -us UHF communications will be taken over by the planned five Mobile User Objective Sys- tem (MUOS) satellites, aiiowing the ageing UHF Follow On (UFO) constellation to retire and pro- vide a tenfold increase in throughput. -The Wideband Giobai SATCOM sateiiite is the successor to the Defense Satellite Communications System-Ill. One WGS satellite has about 12 times the bandwidth of a DSCS-III satellite. -A subsequent phase now being considered by the USiviC wouid aiiow thousands of networks at any one time and add crossiinks between sateiiites. -Similiar work has gone on the with the JSMCs Expeditionary Tacticai Communications system (ETCS), a precursor to Netted iridium which begin in 2002 which provide netter push to talk and location formations for the Marine Corp Warfighting Laboratorv with no ground based infrastructure just a iridium 9505 and computer dispiay and used a helmet mounted flat antenna under the helmet covers. -MiLSATCOM of today and increasing the near future wiii consist of geostationary satei- iites with sateiiite spots offering frequency reuse, high gain and isoiation at higher frequen- cies such as Ka using muiti-beam sateiiite antennas to provide wide coverage to mobiie users operating at disparate iocations around the giobe**.**
 * -The first Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS), previousiy knovi/n as the Wideband Gapfiller Systems was launched in October 2007 to provide users with high volume communications around the globe.**