CS-T-C
ISR Integration
Tom Rittenbach ORGANIZER: Dan Hampel
The reporting, distribution and control of Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) data from sensor platforms to and from processing stations and user locations involves a number of airborne and space communications systems to realize the Net Centric Operations in Warfare (NCOW) objectives. The requirements for the data links involved have been shown to exceed presently planned transport resources. This session’s papers include establishing and substantiating the need for wideband networks for ISR by describing the development of surrogate Interchange Exchange Requirements (IERs) to validate overall SATCOM loads using NETWARS for traffic analysis. Subsequent papers discuss technologies and approaches for accommodating increasing wideband networks for real time worldwide distribution of ISR data. The advantages and potential of airborne relaying as alternatives to ground to space links for beyond line of sight communications in the tactical battlefield are described in the paper Airborne Layer Alternatives for Tactical Network Communications. Architectures with supporting analysis shows that the use of High Altitude Airships (HAAs) that can obviate the need for some SATCOM. Then the paper Airborne Laser and RF Communications describes specific optical and microwave technologies that can be used to implement the alternative architectures. It is shown how a combination of Airborne Laser Terminals (ALTs) for air to space links and bandwidth efficient RF modems can substantially alleviate current bandwidth constraints. A specific demonstration that then describes free space optical links from an aerostat to ground at 80 Gbps that will further enhance wideband ISR data distribution capability. Independent of transport modes and airborne optical or RF links, the ISR data links must meet the Common Data Link (CDL) standards required for net-centricity and platform compatibility. The background of data link families is described along with the standard CDL waveform characteristics. The Multi-Role Tactical Common Data Link (MR-TCDL) being developed by the Army CERCEC is shown to meet these future network requirements.
Dan Hampel is a Sr. Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton in Eatontown, NJ and is responsible for communications systems support to the Army CERDEC and Program Offices at Ft. Monmouth. His areas of support are in Space and RF/Transmission technologies areas and MILSATCOM terminal programs. He has most recently been working on architectures for wideband distribution of ISR data, the application of UAVs and communications on the move technologies. Prior to joining Booz Allen, he spent most of his career at RCA and GE in communications technology and systems development in the area of SATCOM terminals. He is a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and Tau Beta Pi and has published more than 20 papers and a chapter in the VLSI Handbook (Academic Press 1985), "Impact of VLSI on Distributed Communications". He was awarded nine patents in the areas of communications and signal processing. He was awarded nine patents in the areas of communications and signal processing. He also participated in the 2005 Army Science Board Study on the Assured Communications panel where he provided architectural concepts for reliable network connectivity in urban and complex terrain environments.
Mr. Rittenbach is a System Engineer in the CERDEC S&TCD SEAMS Directorate. He has been actively involved in Milsatcom since 1987. and in DOD communications since 1980. His current accomplishments are in development of net-centric communications systems that service both C4 and ISR requirements for DOD warfighters.