NC3 Commercial Development/Prototyping
Abstract
Under the previous Global Lighting effort new satellite communications (SATCOM) terminals were successfully prototyped onto 3 primary DAF air platforms (AC-130, KC-135, F-35) to test the new emerging capability. The F-35 terminal under Global Lightning officially transitioned by the Joint Executive Steering Board (JESB) which approved the Requirements change to add this capability to the F-35 Joint Program Office Program of Record. The Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) Commercial Development/Prototyping thrust now advances the successful Global Lightning SATCOM capability to the full multi-vendor, multi-orbit, multi-band capability needed to create a global fully-assured DOD communications capability. The NC3 Commercial Development/Prototyping thrust will also extend this capability to a new class of DOD and DAF missions specified by OSD (details available through proper channels). Under this effort, terminals will be prototyped and tested on 8 types of AF air platforms, and some platforms across the other domains. The terminals include secure connectivity using NSA-approved approaches, and authority approvals at least to the interim levels needed for experimentation (IATT). The effort will also explore options for securely integrating the capability into the new mission area and determining mission improvement and addressing potential policy, legal, doctrine issues that are often concomitant with a new capability. Whereas Global Lightning allows connection to individual SATCOM paths in LEO and GEO, the NC3 Commercial Development/Prototyping thrust will increase the SATCOM terminal capability to connect to multiple (7) SATCOM paths in low earth orbit (LEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), and geosynchronous orbit (GEO). The inclusion of commercial vendors will dramatically increase. Each of these new commercial systems offer unique attributes to DOD. The new multi-vendor terminals will also create the ability to seamless switch between vendors, and also quickly bring in new commercial vendors as they emerge, thus ensuring low-cost options for DOD in the foreseeable future. In addition to the NC3 Commercial Development/Prototyping options, the terminal will also provide connectivity to new and emerging DOD SATCOM systems, using a built-in software-defined radio (SDR) capability that can accommodate government protected waveforms. To improve communications options and resiliency, the NC3 Commercial Development/Prototyping effort will also prototype, test and transition a capability that allows dynamic switching between the SATCOM options in multiple orbits, government and commercial, and between multiple commercial vendors.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2023
- Source ID
- 4d8d1c028d8b0fbc9d928c23a0a14759
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