When these new technologies are released and begin to gain mainstream adoption, the military begins to analyze and test them to see if there are potential use cases for them in combat. Can they make our soldiers better informed or more connected? Could it improve our soldiers’ survivability or increase lethality?

In many cases, the answer to those questions are, “yes,” and then the hard work begins. The military needs to figure out how they want to bring these new technologies to bear and enable fiber-like communications and how they want to harden those technologies for harsh battlefield environments. Finally, they will also need to understand how they can use the same equipment and technologies where the conditions are not as austere and leverage the same infrastructure they use at home or work.

For the military to deliver many of these new tools and capabilities into the fight, a high bandwidth, low latency network connection is a prerequisite for operational sufficiency. Today’s network-centric military operators demand high bandwidth connectivity to deliver the new tools, applications and capabilities they need to fight.

Historically, high bandwidth and low latency has unfortunately been the eternal stumbling block in the domain of land-based combat operations.

The dream of comms on the move

Today’s soldiers first encounter combat operations in barren, austere environments where the infrastructure we are accustomed to back home does not exist or is otherwise inaccessible or unreliable.

This creates a problem for the military. How can those network-enabled tools and capabilities be sent to military personnel at the tip of the spear if they can’t connect? The answer has traditionally been through satellite. However, satellite has always come with its own challenges for the military.

Traditional military satellite (MILSAT) services were delivered via satellites at the geostationary orbit (GEO); examples of this include narrowband communications provided by UHF Tactical satellites or other 56 Kbps satellite data networks. These systems were and still are in high demand. They are only capable of delivering so much capacity and bandwidth because of the distant orbit location. Moreover, there is then the challenge of providing the correct ground infrastructure – the terminals and antennas necessary to utilize military and commercial satellite networks are often bulky and not exactly what anyone would consider, “mobile.”

While deployed soldiers were in camp or on base, there wasn’t a problem. There was the time and space to establish ground infrastructure and deliver communications to the soldiers while they were there. They were able to have comms at pause, but they couldn’t take that connectivity with them, and that’s what the military has been looking for – comms on the move.

Comms on the move at sea and in the air

Luckily, there have been major advancements in the satellite and ground infrastructure industries that could start to make this dream a reality.

Newer satellites, like those closer to the Earth in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), have been flying since 2014. These satellites have high-throughput and low latency, the two key features enabling warfighters to do the most demanding tasks via network-enabled services, tools and interactive applications – from high definition ISR video to the highly detailed collaboration on GEOINT necessary for making informed troop movement decisions.

New antenna and terminal technologies have also been introduced that can enable access to this new generation of satellites and deliver comms on the move. Unfortunately, they still are not small and mobile enough to be carried by soldiers on foot but they are perfectly fine for trucks, ships and large transport airplanes.

Are Comms on the Move coming for the dismounted warfighter?

Yes. Unequivocally, yes.

The first computers took up the better part of an entire room. Today, that same computing power is dwarfed by something that fits in our pockets. In fact, there is more computing power in a Fitbit than that used to land a man on the moon. New technologies come out all the time, and they’re constantly getting better and smaller. Terminal and antenna technologies are not an exception.

Newer, commercially viable electronically steered, phased-array antennas are smaller and more capable of handling the technical requirements of MEO satellite constellations. These antennas and supporting electronics are in development and testing right now, and should be available in just two or three years.

When these new antenna and terminal technologies enter the marketplace, they’re going to open the door for the military to embrace MEO satellite constellations – and the high throughput, low latency connectivity that they enable – for comms on the move across all requisite domains: air, sea and land.

That’s when the dream becomes reality – when soldiers will get communications at low latency and high throughput. These critical qualities enable warfighters to enjoy the same fiber-like response times they enjoy at home, and use the same mission critical interactive applications as they do at home. This will revolutionize warfare. SES Space and Defense currently offers a MEO satellite constellation called O3b that can deliver the bandwidth that’s necessary for comms on the move. Moreover, we have funded – and will deliver by 2022 – its follow-on capability called O3b mPOWER, which will deliver up to 35,000 beams globally below 50 degrees latitude. That is an impressive 100 Gbps per spacecraft of capability into the tactical edge, adding an incredible solution to the military’s tools base.

For additional information about O3b mPOWER and its potential use cases for the military, click HERE.

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At the same time, the military is actively looking to utilize new technologies, making our troops better informed and aware in the field. ISR and communications solutions in forward operating bases (FOBs) ensure the warfighter has real time situational awareness. However, when the soldier leaves the FOB, current technology does not allow for the same level of situational awareness to go with them.

These challenges – and the steps the military is taking to overcome them – were expertly detailed in a recent article in National Defense. Perhaps the most notable step detailed in the article is to achieve Group 4 UAS capability on a Group 3 size platform.

According to Mike Fieldson, airborne ISR division chief at SOCOM’s program executive office fixed wing, this means a move away from Group 4 and Group 5 drones, which weigh more than 1,320 pounds, and towards a smaller and lighter UAS in Group 1 through Group 3. As Mr. Fieldson put it, “The intent…is to take Group 4 and Group 5-type capabilities and push that down into a Group 1, Group 2, Group 3-type configuration.”

Shrinking America’s fleet of UAS resources can have multiple benefits for the military. Most Group 3 UAS don’t require a runway, lowering their signature in a given area. They require less power to operate. They’re significantly less expensive. In addition to this, their low cost and small size makes it more feasible to utilize multiple assets for each mission, greatly increasing resiliency through redundancy.

This plan to go smaller and proliferate UAS resources was shared in the article by Lieutenant General Kenneth Tovo, commander of Army Special Operations Command, who said, “The large [UAVs] that we’re relying on now perhaps could be replaced by a multitude of essentially throwaway swarms of UAVs.”

This concept of creating swarms of smaller UAVs seems plausible enough, but there are challenges. While moving to a smaller UAS isn’t limited by the platform, the biggest challenge to a Group 3 UAS is often overlooked – the antenna required for beyond line of sight operations.

The incredible shrinking antenna
For UAS fleet resources to shrink in both size and weight, they’ll need all components to shrink as well. This includes sensors and the antenna used to transmit data back to the personnel aggregating, analyzing and drawing actionable intelligence from the data.

To accomplish this, satellite hardware manufacturers – such as GetSat – are working feverishly on a new generation of advanced antennas. These antennas can sit flatter on surfaces to reduce drag and are more aerodynamic, and are smaller. The most exciting new antenna technologies are flat panel arrays and the “Holy Grail,” electronically steered aperture (ESA) antennas.

Hardware manufacturers are also working to develop a new generation of software-defined modems which are smaller and can be paired with new antenna designs to make the entire apparatus responsible for sending and receiving data more compact.

But smaller antennas aren’t always the panacea. Yes, they cut down on size and weight, and can help the military usher in an era of smaller UAS resources. But they give SATCOM providers nightmares and leave users wanting higher throughput.

Shrinking from the spotlight
Small antennas mean problems for satellites, regardless of how sophisticated and advanced they are. The smaller an antenna is, the greater the opportunity for adjacent satellite interference to occur.

Although emerging commercial GEO SATCOM solutions are designed to be used with smaller antennas – such as those found on commercial aircraft – the military has been reticent to utilize them mostly because commercial practices for these new technologies run counter to their critical requirements. This means as the COMSATCOM industry focuses investments on technologies necessary to meet the demands of the always connected commercial world, it does little to address the ISR requirements for smaller antennas required for the next, highly-coveted Group 3 UAS class.

Luckily, two solutions could already be in space – MEO satellite constellations and GEO High throughput satellites (HTS). Unlike traditional wideband GEO satellites, these satellites utilize high-powered, concentrated spot beams that are easier for smaller antennas to access.

To learn more about advanced MEO and HTS satellite solutions and their use cases within the military and federal government, click on the following resources: 

GEO & MEO: Proven. Efficient. Scalable.
The Big Beam Boom (High Throughput Satellites White Paper)
O3b “Fiber Like” Satellite Communications for U.S. Government Applications
High Throughput Satellites for U.S. Government Applications

The post Shrinking UAS assets calls for tiny antennas and big trouble appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

Two of the organizations with representatives in attendance at this year’s ICT Forum were satellite providers SES and O3b. Following the event, we sat down with Hung Tran, a Government Senior Sales Engineer at O3b, to discuss the purpose of the forum, and the role that satellite can play in executing and improving humanitarian efforts.

Our discussion covered the current goals and mission for the Humanitarian ICT Forum, how communication and connectivity priorities have shifted over the years for NGOs and UN organizations, and how satellite connectivity delivers hope for communities affected around the globe. Specifically, we discussed the crucial role that satellites have in swiftly re-establishing reliable communication access for affected communities as well as increasing situational awareness for staff in the field.

Here’s what Hung had to say:

Government Satellite Report (GSR): What is the Humanitarian ICT Forum, and what was its purpose or mission?

Hung Tran (HT): The Humanitarian ICT Forum, formally known as the WGET (Working Group Emergency Telecommunications), meets annually to bring together the humanitarian organizations like the UN, WFP, UN OCHA, UNICEF, UNHT, UNHCR and all those UN organizations – along with private industry – to find innovative solutions that can help humanitarian responses be more efficient and more responsive to the needs of the affected people.

Think of the earthquake or recent hurricane in Haiti or the typhoon in the Philippines. The Humanitarian ICT Forum is known for finding ways to utilize technology to better equip and enable the organizations that respond to these types of events. Another high-level example would be relief for the refugee situations in Africa and Syria. These are the types of efforts they set out to address.

GSR: Executives from both SES and O3b were in attendance and speaking at the Forum. Why is satellite such an important part of humanitarian aid and emergency response?

HT: When something like a natural disaster or a geopolitical event happens, the response groups like WFP, UNHCR and UNICEF have their responses down to a pattern. So, you might ask yourself, “If these groups have procedures set in place, why do they have to meet anyway?” But the reason is to see what can be improved on, what other technologies are out there that they can incorporate into the pattern. Learning to incorporate technology that really helps the needy like that is why it’s so important to meet annually.

And satellite is such an important part of that. When these events take place – whether it’s a typhoon in the Philippines or an earthquake in Haiti – they either damage or completely destroy the existing terrestrial networks and infrastructure, and it can take a long time to rebuild. Satellites can deliver those essential communications services – voice, video and data – in the absence of terrestrial communications networks. So, when the humanitarian staff comes in, they have communication access instantly for coordinating their efforts.

Recently, there has been an increased focus towards helping the affected community, connecting the unconnected. And that’s another area where O3b can play a significant role – we have the capability to come in and provide telecom infrastructure to a large, affected population without having to rebuild their destroyed terrestrial network.

GSR: What types of services and applications can satellite deliver to humanitarian aid workers and those responding to disasters or other emergency situations? What about the people who are affected?

HT: As we discussed, satellites can provide instant connectivity, so when the staff comes in, they can immediately communicate. But communications isn’t the only thing they need when they first arrive on the scene. They need to survey the situation, analyze it, and then coordinate the effort.

Satellite communications enable the staff to coordinate the effort and gain situational awareness by delivering geospatial imagery and other intelligence directly into the field. This is something that simply can’t be done without satellite communications because of the damage to terrestrial networks, and the sheer size of the data files. Additionally, the staff can make phone calls, have video communications and access cloud applications from the field – which is the same functionality that they have in their office – thanks to high throughput and low latency satellite communications

With regards to the affected community, whether it’s a natural disaster or a war event, satellites allow them to use social media to communicate with their loved ones and help identify which areas are most in need of help. Look at refugees coming from Syria, for example. The first couple of questions they ask are where the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot is and how they can access their social network so they can notify their families of their whereabouts, if they are safe, and if they need help.

In the future, I also see significant potential for the use of UAVs in situational awareness efforts, especially with their ability to provide live video and imagery while keeping rescue workers out of harm’s way. Satellite communications and COMSATCOM networks are essential for both piloting UAVS and distributing the information gathered by UAVs to decision makers and rescue workers in the field.

I also anticipate COMSATCOM-enabled telemedicine becoming more commonplace and essential in disaster recovery and response operations in the future. Telemedicine can be used to help sick and needy patients in extremely remote areas that don’t have access to organizations like Doctors Without Borders. Doctors can help nurses or other people with medical knowledge treat these patients remotely via video, which is delivered via satellite.

GSR: Have O3b’s MEO satellite constellation and satellite services been employed in the past for humanitarian missions or emergency response activities? Why was it an effective tool in those instances?

HT: We have rolled out O3b services in Africa to support humanitarian missions across the continent, so all the staff and affected communities can now have online access and communications capabilities on par with that they have in their office.

Look at the situations that we’ve all seen on TV like in Darfur or South Sudan or Somalia. These examples are situations in which O3b is proudly working with partners on the ground to provide connectivity to their teams. As I mentioned before, this connectivity and access helps team members coordinate and communicate more effectively with access to the cloud, live feeds from teams in the field and real-time, geospatial imagery.

GSR: What is the desired outcome from this Humanitarian ICT Forum? What are those sponsoring and organizing this event looking to have result from it? What are the next steps?

HT: It’s all about strengthening the partnerships and relationships between these organizations, learning how we can all work together and planning accordingly. Overall, we have to look at how all these organizations prepare to move forward and make this whole process move faster, smoother and more efficiently.

SES and O3b are making a real difference and helping in this sector, especially because the focus is shifting away from just helping the staff of the NGOs to helping the affected communities, connecting the unconnected. We have technologies and services that can truly make a difference to these communities.

For additional information about how SATCOM can make a difference and connect the unconnected in emergency response situations, click on the following resources:

White Paper: Operational Trial Of A Satellite Communication System For New Jersey’s First Responders

White Paper: Saving Lives And Livelihoods By Satellite

White Paper: O3b “Fiber Like” Satellite Communications for U.S. Government Applications

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