Monday, May 16, 2022
  • About us
    • Write for us
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms of use
    • Privacy Policy
  • RSS Feeds
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
DefenceTalk
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports
No Result
View All Result
DefenceTalk
No Result
View All Result

Developing System Gives Hope to Improved Battlefield Communications

by American Forces Press Service
April 10, 2009
in Technology News
3 min read
0
14
VIEWS

WASHINGTON: Having a conversation interrupted by a lost cell phone signal is annoying. But for those serving in a combat zone, losing connectivity can be deadly.

A Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program is well on its way toward developing a system that prevents disruptions in communication signals, and when they do occur, ensures the message doesn’t disappear into never-never-land.

DARPA launched the Disruption Tolerant Networking program three years ago to eliminate dropped messages that occur due to interference in the communication path, explained Preston Marshall, the program manager.

Interruptions can be caused by anything from a metal vehicle or building to terrain features that that block satellite signal paths all common factors on the battlefield, he noted.

The concept originated with NASA, where engineers explored ways to deal with interplanetary communications in highly unpredictable circumstances. But DARPA saw military applications, too.

The challenge, Marshall explained, is that Internet technology was built around the assumption that “everyone is connected to cable modems and that they are underneath 1,000-foot cell towers.”

That’s hardly the case for combat troops. “In the military, our soldiers are talking between radios that are very close to the ground, and a 10-foot berm on the ground looks like a mountain,” he said.

Marshall and his DARPA team members encounter the same phenomenon when they operate at Fort A.P. Hill, Va. an Army base where the word “hill” is a bit of a stretch. “When we drive around Fort A.P. Hill, we lose satellite signals about 25 percent of the time, just because of the trees on the side of the roads,” he said.

“Similarly, if I am a soldier doing a Web page or updating Blue Force tracking data, and I walk behind a metal building or get into a metal vehicle, that can be enough to break my connection for 10 or 20 seconds,” he said.

Those few seconds can stop a message in its tracks with potentially life-or-death consequences. That’s because when traditional networks run up against these disruptions, they simply drop the signal. The intended recipient never gets the communication, and neither the sender nor receiver realizes it.

Not so with DTN, which Marshall said will hold onto the message and deliver it at the first opportunity. “In DTN, if the network can’t deliver it right away, it doesn’t throw it away. If I give something to a DTN and then I disconnect, DTN will continue to march it across the network and get it delivered for me,” he said.

“It takes responsibility for the material until it delivers it just like the Postal Service,” he said. “So it’s a very common-sense way to run networks.”

That capability could be a lifesaver for combat troops who depend on reliable communications. “It can be the difference in ensuring the tactical edge,” Marshall said.

The DTN program has made steady progress, with the technology proving itself out in two field demonstrations replicating combat conditions. It’s currently in its third and final phase of development, after which the military services will assess it and determine if they want to adopt it, Marshall said.

The Army already has agreed to buy about 300 low-cost hand-held radios built around DTN technology. If the system performs as expected in the operational environment, the Army is expected to buy large quantities.

Ultimately, Marshall expects to see broad, almost across-the-board application of DTN that brings more dependable communications to front-line troops.

“If you are sitting in a command center, you have got lots of fiber and you don’t need DTN,” he said. “DTN is for the guy on the edge who has one path back that is competing with lots of other applications and being blocked as he goes behind vehicles. That’s where this effort is focused: on the tactical edge.

Tags: battlefieldcommunicationsnetworkingresearch
Previous Post

Security forces unit provides combat support to Iraq

Next Post

Tax Rates Change For Retirees, Annuitants

Related Posts

US moves closer to retaliation over hacking as cyber woes grow

UK probes ‘Russian hack’ targeting army recruits

April 28, 2022

The UK defence ministry said Tuesday it was investigating a reported hack by Russia of its computer systems targeting more...

US needs top cyber coordinator, better hacker ‘deterrence’

Space Security Challenge 2022: Hack-A-Sat 3 Registration Opens

April 20, 2022

The U.S. Air and Space Force, in collaboration with the security research community, opened registration April 8 for the qualification...

Next Post

Tax Rates Change For Retirees, Annuitants

Latest Defense News

PzH 2000 Self-propelled Howitzer

Germany to send self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine

May 6, 2022
Coronavirus challenges US military machine

Pentagon denies helping Ukraine ‘target’ Russian generals

May 6, 2022
Javelin anti-tank missiles

Western arms to Ukraine preventing ‘quick’ end to conflict: Kremlin

May 6, 2022
MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopters

Taiwan scraps deal to buy US anti-submarine helicopters

May 6, 2022
Franco-German treaty a step toward ‘European army’: Merkel

NATO eyes ‘heightened presence’ around Sweden, Baltic

May 6, 2022
Urban warfare ‘nightmare’ looms if Russia enters Ukraine cities

US intel helped Ukraine target Russian generals: NYT

May 5, 2022

Defense Forum Discussions

  • The Russian-Ukrainian War Thread
  • Royal Australian Air Force [RAAF] News, Discussions and Updates
  • Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates 2.0
  • The Indonesian Army
  • NZDF General discussion thread
  • Ukrainian - Russian War Memes.
  • Germany
  • Australian Army Discussions and Updates
  • S.Korea, Indonesia to develop 4.5 gen fighter aircraft KFX
  • Space X Boca Chico Build & Launch Facility.
DefenceTalk

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com

Navigate Site

  • Defence Forum
  • Military Photos
  • RSS Feeds
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Defense News
    • Defense & Geopolitics News
    • War Conflicts News
    • Army News
    • Air Force News
    • Navy News
    • Missiles Systems News
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Defense Technology
    • Cybersecurity News
  • Military Photos
  • Defense Forum
  • Military Videos
  • Military Weapon Systems
    • Weapon Systems
    • Reports

© 2003-2020 DefenceTalk.com