Evaluating the Feasibility of 5G Enabled Datalinks for Aviation Command and Control
Abstract
Per the 38th Commandant's Planning Guidance, the Marine Corps' forces must "operate and persist within range of adversary long-range fires." Marine command posts and units need to reduce their electromagnetic signatures to operate effectively in future conflicts. This constraint presents a particular challenge for aviation Command and Control (C2) operations because they rely on ultra-high frequency, omni-directional radio transmissions, which are highly susceptible to adversary direction finding systems. A possible solution to this problem is using low probability of detection millimeter wave (mmWave) communications enabled by the fifth generation (5G) cellular technology. Using 5G antenna array beam steering capability could create strong mm Wave datalinks between aircraft and ground stations while the signal attenuates outside of the beam, remaining undetectable by an adversary. This research evaluated the feasibility of using 5G enabled mmWave communication for aviation C2 by observing the trade space between using narrow antenna beams and maintaining antenna pointing accuracy. The study found that given adequate signal-to-noise ratio, antenna pointing accuracy increased for arrays generating thinner beams at practical beam widths when using signal direction of arrival estimation for antenna alignment. This finding indicates that mm Wave communication system designs are not limited by beamwidth and have potential for aviation C2 applications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1151219
Entities
People
- Brian J. White
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School