Nap-of-the-Earth Communication Program for U.S. Army Helicopters.
Abstract
A two-year Army study effort related to a large procurement of VHF/FM and HF/SSB radios for Army helicopters is described. The communication problem, requirements and solutions for helicopters flying nap-of-the-earth (NOE) in the modern battlefield are given. A model for predictions of communication ranges in irregular terrain (terrain, noise environment and radio system parameters as variables) was developed. Model inputs are median basic transmission loss (from Longley-Rice), man-made, atmospheric, and galactic noise (CCIR Reports 258 and 322), candidate radio system parameters (Transmitter ERP and required SNR at receiver), and the standard deviations of these parameters. The model output is the probability of successful communication, ps, at a given range in irregular terrain. The model was used in the European SCORES scenario to predict communication and mission effectiveness in the Fulda region for candidate radio systems. Limited model validation data are given. Quantitative test results for the TCATA FM-320 NOE communication test are given and discussed. These tests compared the AN/ARC-114 Baseline radio with other radio candidates - 40-W VHF, Retransmission, and HF/SSB. In addition, quantitative results are given for VHF/FM, HF/SSB, and satellite NOE systems tests. Technical appendices contain information on OH-58 VHF and HF helicopter antenna gain (dBi), FSK data transmission, speech processing, and HF and VHF field strength measurements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA063089
Entities
People
- Bruce C. Tupper
- George H. Hagn
Organizations
- SRI International