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AWACS: You've Got Mail July 2008
Despite its mission being initially limited to air defense against enemy bombers, AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) over the years has earned a reputation as a world-class mobile command and control platform. During the 1991 Gulf War, AWACS was joined by Joint STARS (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System), another airborne surveillance platform, to provide superior situational awareness. As the military shifts to net-centric operations—including global connectivity, real-time collaboration, and rapid and continuous information exchange between commanders and troops—AWACS and Joint STARS both continue to serve an integral role in military operations. MITRE, which initially began work on the performance specifications for AWACS in mid-1966, still supports both programs. "MITRE is a key influence behind helping set the strategic direction of these programs towards net-centric operations," says David MacLure, head of MITRE's Joint STARS department. Legacy Platforms "Just because AWACS and Joint STARS are legacy platforms doesn't mean they don't have new work being done on them," says Darryl Washington, associate head of MITRE's AWACS department. "There is always planning going on to make them better and improve their capabilities, both as individual platforms and as contributors to the rest of the command and control network."
It's all about connecting people and information. "We use voice, Link 11, and Link 16 [military inter-computer data exchange formats] to communicate today, but those methods have limitations," says Washington. "With IP [Internet protocol], we can broadcast data to a wider range of people and send out a lot more information on what we see. When the program team upgrades the communications on board those planes, we will have an IP-based computer system that people in the air and on the ground can tie into to get all the available information they can't easily exchange today." Washington and his colleagues are well acquainted with adapting military systems to new needs and advanced technologies. To help AWACS better communicate with the Air Force's command and control center for air operations, MITRE worked with MIT's Lincoln Laboratory and AWACS Program Office Government and contractor personnel and turned to the Iridium system. "The Program Office was looking for a fast way to meet the users' urgent request to tap into the Air Operation Center's chat conversations in theater, and that's what drove the installation of the Iridium phones," says Washington. A system of 66 low-earth-orbiting communications satellites, the Iridium network enables worldwide voice and data communications. The team installed an antenna to AWACS's no-longer used sextant port, which eliminated the need for external changes to the aircraft. The solution—stand-alone using a portable computer not integrated into the rest of the mission system—complied with the request to make the initial connection and also sets the stage for new technology. One new technology under development for AWACS involves Tactical Targeting Network Technology radio, which could potentially provide more bandwidth as well as prototype Web services to exchange information. A test configuration will be part of Empire Challenge 2008, an exercise in July that will help demonstrate the capability and how it can enhance the AWACS mission. Shake Well Joint STARS has also been successful in hosting IP-based air/ground connections via the Interim Capability for Airborne Networking (ICAN) and Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLOS) capabilities. ICAN enables line-of-sight communication with ground elements over existing radios, allowing chat and e-mail with the Air Operations Center. The BLOS capabilities, another urgent user request, provide improved bandwidth, enabling not only more extensive chat and email but also allowing Joint STARS operators to access the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNET) using standard web browsing technology. Data protection is critical for both AWACS and Joint STARS, both of which connect to the SIPRNET. MITRE teams contributed to the design and testing of ground stations to capture data coming from the air—a daunting challenge, given the inherent difficulties of extending a land-based local area network skyward. "Information assurance is pretty well-established for networks on the ground within SIPRNET," says MacLure. "As soon as you start hanging systems like Joint STARS on it and go to a commercial system, however, you introduce new concerns and requirements that have to be addressed to make it work within the military's security constraints. It's not our technology so much as our understanding of the domain and the system's capabilities that can be applied to our work. We put it all in a jar, shake well, and come out with a certified, accredited capability that improves combat effectiveness and helps the user with its main mission." Washington agrees. "Being associated with a program for a long time not only gives us an understanding of what users' needs are, but it allows us to think long term," he says. "In our role as an FFRDC [federally funded research and development center], we can also work in concert with the military and the contractors to define common data, common requirements, and a common technical approach. We can save money, improve interoperability, and get a better product."
—by Russell Woolard Related Information Articles and News
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