Wednesday, September 28, 2016

GA-ASI Net Centric Comm Pod lets Marines network with Predator B


GA-ASI Demonstrates Advanced Communications Capability

Network Centric Communications Pod Enhances Long-Range Communications


MODERN DAY MARINE, QUANTICO, Va. – 27 September 2016 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) announced that its Network Centric Communications Pod (NCCP) successfully demonstrated the ability to provide a robust communications data link between Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) ground and air forces during an exercise held at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), Twentynine Palms, Calif., in July.

Integrated aboard a company-owned Predator® B Block 5 and operated by a company-owned Block 30 Ground Control Station (GCS), NCCP provided Adaptive Networking Wideband Waveform (ANW2) retransmissions and Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT) availability while simultaneously providing C-band Remote Operational Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) Full-motion Video (FMV) to advantaged users who possessed highly sophisticated connectivity and communications equipment, as well as disadvantaged users on the battlefield who were equipped with Kinetic Integrated Low-cost Software Integrated Tactical Combat Handheld (KILSWITCH) tablets.

During the demonstration, warfighters experienced enhanced situational awareness through the expansion of their ANW2 and TTNT networks, greatly improving their ability to communicate and share information in a network that included both an airborne node and ground users. Predator B also provided live FMV to warfighters' ROVER, and the NCCP demonstrated the ability to stream FMV via ANW2 to USMC KILSWITCH tablets. Additionally, this data, along with imagery captured by GA-ASI's Lynx® Multi-mode Synthetic Aperture GMTI Radar, was transmitted to Camp Pendleton's Battle Simulation Center and displayed on GA-ASI's Claw® 3 Integrated Sensor Payload Control and Analysis Software system, as well as GA-ASI's System for Tactical Archival, Retrieval, and Exploitation (STARE) workstations. These data exploitation products greatly enhanced USMC's intelligence analysis and targeting in the area of operations.

NCCP is a Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) developed to enhance and extend long-range communications, providing a medium-altitude gateway for airborne and ground communications networks systems that enables digital interoperability and connectivity for advantaged and disadvantaged users. This MCWL demonstration follows two previously successful GA-ASI electronic attack demonstrations for the USMC in 2013.

Reaper-mounted NCCP demonstrates networking capability for USMC | IHS Jane's 360
The demonstration took place on 26-31 July at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), Twentynine Palms, California. A simulated Marine Expeditionary Unit was situated off the coast.
"The Reaper was the network backbone for the whole operation," Hardison said.
NCCP already had Link 16, TTNT, and several different radios installed, he added.
"The Marine Corps wanted to bring in ANW2, which is an ad hoc mesh network for ground [elements]. [The Marine Corps] wanted us to provide a Reaper overhead [to create] a 25 n mile bubble of communications," Hardison said. "Think of it as a flying WiFi for the marines."
The next step was linking ANW2 to position location information and fires data all the way back to the UAS, and back through GPS, so that General Atomics could more tightly and digitally integrate what the marines on the ground were seeing in order to prosecute particular targets.

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